


Out of Sync

by mochichidango



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drama, F/M, Prequel, Requited Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2019-11-07 14:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17962430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mochichidango/pseuds/mochichidango
Summary: Because she was too late and he was too scared to take a chance. Japanese High School AU.





	1. High School is Not Meant for Love

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters used in this story do not belong to me.

She was too late. _Too_ late.

Now she will always be left thinking: what if.

_Nothing had changed._

She kept telling herself that it would be different this time, that it would be different from her past one-sided loves.

_This was it._

But he was no different from the rest and she didn't make it in time.

She was _too_ late. 

_And she was left standing as he continued walking forward, never looking back._

* * *

It was winter break when Sakura decided that she needed to get out of the house. She had been isolated in her house for too long and needed to at least get out once.

"Here's your ticket, S-Sakura _-chan_."

"Oh, thanks, Hinata." Sakura bowed slightly as she received the movie ticket with both hands.

Hyuuga Hinata: Loaded. Extremely shy. BFF of Haruno Sakura.

"S-Shall we go inside?" A shy look was present on Hinata's pale face. Sakura only nodded in response as she opened the door.

Many people were present, though it wasn't completely crowded. It seemed like a lot of people were still coming in to watch _Harry Potter_ though that was completely reasonable since it was the _last_ movie of the series. Before heading into the theater room, they decided to buy a snack to munch on during the movie. As they made their way towards the concession stand, they both checked on the growing line that was being made outside of the room _Harry Potter_ was being screened in.

"Um, is popcorn fine?" Hinata asked as she stared at the popcorn machine.

"Sure, do you want me to come with you to get it?"

"Oh! No, it's fine," the black-haired girl shook her head side-to-side, then suggested, "Why don't you save us a place on line?"

"That sounds like a good idea. Get the food quickly then, _ne_?" They waved a quick goodbye to each other before they went in different directions. It was probably best to get to the line quickly before it got any longer. Unlike some people, Sakura liked getting good seats, even if that meant getting to the theatre room _before_ they even showed the previews. Lucky for her, she saw the line wasn't really that long and that she didn't really have to worry about getting there so fast. 

As Sakura was approaching the doors to theatre room #3, a weird feeling suddenly overcame her. It was that unexplainable feeling where you just know that someone was staring at you. After feeling paranoid, she decided to look as casual as possible when glancing around the room to try to find the perpetrator. She probably shouldn't have looked to her left then as a tall, skinny-looking boy was blatantly staring at her. She looked back, eyes wide in surprise and mouth slightly ajar. He had dark black hair with bangs framing his face nicely, deep onyx eyes, a fair complexion, and an indifferent expression. His eyes were unblinking as he continued to stare at her. Suddenly, he cut eye contact as he turned around to talk with some boys behind him.

"Well, that was strange," Sakura whispered to herself as she tilted her head to the side. But she then brushed it off as she slightly snickered, "At least he was cute though." It was probably nothing anyway. This wasn't the first time someone stared at her. It was very rare for someone to have strawberry blonde hair, and when she said strawberry, she literally meant it. Her hair was pink.

After finally getting to the line, she looked back to see where the boy went. It wasn't like she was curious or anything about an extremely attractive guy who she caught staring at her. Cue the sarcasm. It seemed he walked off with his friends to the concession stand. Speaking of concession stand, where was her best friend? After trying to see where Hinata was on the line, she spotted her in front of the cashier, ordering. 

After waiting another five minutes, Hinata returned with a big bag of popcorn and a medium sized drink of Coke. The girls then spent the remaining time chatting and catching up with one another. The line then started to become longer as it became closer to the starting time of the movie. After it became 30 minutes before the movie would start, the line started to move and people were allowed to enter the theatre. As the pair walked towards the doors, Sakura noticed the cute boy from earlier. It appeared that he was going to watch the same movie as them. As she passed him, she gave a quick glance and then entered the lowly lit room. She couldn't help herself when it came to attractive guys, besides, it was just one glance anyway. 

The girls ended up getting really good seats, right in the center of all the rows. As Sakura was watching the entrance as people continued to enter the theatre, her eyes immediately caught sight of the dark-headed boy. He ended up sitting near the front of the theatre with his friends.

"Why do I keep on noticing him?" she mumbled to herself. Sure he was cute, but that was probably going to be the only time she saw him anyway. It wasn't like he was going to speak with her and ask for her number. The girl sighed to herself. So this was what it was like to still be a single girl.

"Is something wrong, Sakura _-chan_?" Sakura jumped in surprise in her seat.

"Oh no, it's nothing, Hinata. Please don't worry about me." Hinata smiled reluctantly as they both turned toward the screen to watch the previews. After about two hours, the movie was over and the lights started to come on again.

"Wah, that was so good! As expected of _Harry Potter_." Sakura gave an approving nod.

"Yes, it was very good."

After exiting the theatre, they made their way towards the concession stands, which was close by to the restrooms.

"Please excuse me, I must use the restroom."

"Sure, I'll wait for you here."

Now that Sakura was alone again, she decided to pretend she was looking at something on her phone. These types of situations were always awkward for her. At least she looked like she was doing something and not just standing there awkwardly. As Sakura was pretending to read a text message, she couldn't help but feel like someone was staring at her again. Her eye twitched in annoyance.

"With my luck, it'll probably be that cute boy again," she muttered sarcastically. She looked up and lo and behold, it was the same boy from before. After she caught his stare―again, mind you―he immediately turned around and walked towards the exit of the movie theatre. 

Sakura scoffed, "What's up with him? This is getting strange." She began contemplating his strange actions but decided it was nothing worth worrying about. She shrugged her shoulders as she continued to wait for Hinata. After her friend returned, they both walked towards the exit of the movie theatre. As Hinata took hold of the door handle, Sakura spluttered in surprise, "H-He's still here?!"

Hinata had a curious expression as she looked outside to a group of boys near the theatre entrance. "Who are you talking about, Sakura _-chan_?"

She froze. It would be weird telling Hinata about the creeper who kept staring at her. She concluded it was probably best to forget about it. 

"Huh? Oh, no one important. Just ignore me and my weirdness," the pink-haired girl giggled awkwardly as she scratched the side of her cheek with her pointer finger. Hinata stared at her best friend suspiciously, but honestly, there was no use. Sakura had some weird mannerisms that couldn't be explained sometimes. 

As soon as the girls left, the loud chatter from the group of boys quieted down as they stared at the two. Being the prideful girl she was, Sakura held her head up high as she tugged Hinata along. Boys were stupid anyway. They continued walking down the sidewalk until the group was out of their sight range. 

"Are you sure something isn't wrong? They all stared at you."

Sakura sighed, "Trust me, Hinata, I don't know those people. They must be talking about my hair. I mean, it's pink! But seriously, to stare as if I was some freak? How rude!"

"Yes, that's very rude."

"But I'm just going to ignore it. I mean, it's not like I'll ever see _him_ again," she mumbled out.

"Him?" Hinata whispered to herself as she glanced at her pink-headed best friend.

* * *

 

"Sakura, hurry up or else I'm walking home without you." 

"Can you hold on? I have to change my shoes," Sakura sighed as she gave the blonde an annoyed look. She took off her indoor school shoes and put them into the small locker. After changing shoes, she walked up to Ino, her other best friend, who was impatiently tapping her foot on the ground. 

Ino carefully raised an eyebrow as she examined her best friend. The blonde shrugged her shoulders and grinned, "Let's go! I want to stop by this really cute café on the way home."

"You're always making me spend money on food," Sakura sighed just thinking about her wallet.

"Hey, at least it's good food!" They both laughed as they exited the school building. Sakura was soon distracted as she saw Gaara, an acquaintance who she occasionally talked with, outside leaning against the tree with a book in hand.

"Gaara!" Sakura yelled out. He glanced up at her as he stopped reading. Pausing for a moment, he gave a quick wave before looking down to continue the novel. Sakura waved back and then continued walking with Ino. The pink-haired girl began to talk about class, but her best friend soon interrupted her.

"Eh?" Ino blurted out. Sakura glanced at her friend who was giving a hard stare at the school gate entrance.

"What?" Without being answered, Sakura looked in that direction to see what the big deal was. Her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. It was the boy from the movie theatre! She held in a breath as she began examining him. He looked the same from before except he was wearing the boy's version of their school uniform. It seemed he was leaning against the wall of the gates "pretending" to read a book. As soon as Sakura looked up into his eyes, he snapped his book shut, grabbed his backpack, and left.

"Duck butt?" she whispered out.

Ino―who just witnessed this strange situation unfold―questioned, "What?"

And then all hell broke loose.

"I can't believe him! He stares at _me_ for having pink hair when he has weird hair too! I mean, come on, look at it! It's a duck butt!" Sakura pointed in the direction the boy previously was. All this staring was starting to piss her off. It didn't even matter now that he was cute. 

Ino rolled her eyes at Sakura's sudden rant. It was no surprise though, she did it quite often without realization. The blonde sighed at her oblivious best friend, "I seriously doubt he was staring at you because of your hair."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ino. I know what he was doing. Gosh, the nerve of him! I mean, he did it before at the movie theatre and now he does it again? Here at school? I can't believe him," Sakura snarled. She crossed her arms in front of her chest as she let out a frustrated yell.

Ino shook her head. Why was this girl so oblivious? What just transpired between the two was a sure indication that he was taking interest in little, cute Sakura. Why else would a guy stare so intensely at a girl? Especially if it was multiple times! It was clear as day the boy had a little thing for her bestie. But Sakura would never come to that conclusion, so being the nice friend she was, Ino tried hinting it to her, "It's actually quite obvious why he was staring at you, if you know what I mean." 

"Don't even try me, Ino. I know what I saw and he was staring blatantly at my head. And the only thing to stare at is my hair!" Ino forgot to mention how stubborn her best friend was. The blonde girl sighed, again. Seriously, Sakura could be so frustrating at times. Well, the only good thing about this was, if something did happen, Ino would have total rights to say: I told you so. The blonde loved it when she was right. She would shove it in everyone's face, especially to those who had previously doubted her.

"You know, with such a big forehead to keep your big brain in, you're pretty stupid."

"Shut up, Pig!" Ino started running away playfully as Sakura chased after her yelling some more obscenities.

Gaara―who was just trying to read a book―sighed as he watched the two best friends chase after each other. All he wanted was to read his damn book. After they finally left the school grounds, Gaara was finally able to read in peace without two loud and temperamental women making such a ruckus.

* * *

 

"Ah, morning classes are finally over! Now it’s lunch time!" shouted Ino as she brought her arms up in excitement.

"Let's go to the courtyard as usual then. It's nice outside," suggested Sakura as she took out her _bento_ box from her desk. During this time, the classroom was always filled with the chatter of her classmates since most people chose to stay inside their classrooms for lunch.

Ino nodded, "Yeah, I don't want to eat in the classroom again."

They both were about to leave the room, but stopped because they almost forgot about Hinata. After turning around, they stared in amazement at what their friend was holding.

"Eh? Hinata, your _bento_ is so big!" The small girl was holding up a large _bento_ box that was made for multiple people. Hinata blushed in embarrassment as her two friends stared at her wide-eyed.

"Ah, Neji- _nii-san_ forgot his lunch, so I have to bring it to his classroom."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Sakura asked.

"No, I'll be fine. Please go on ahead." Hinata gave a small smile as she left the classroom waving back at them.

"Okay, we'll see you there then!" Ino called back, waving her hand high in the air.

After going through the hallways and down a couple flights of stairs, they finally exited the building to the courtyard. A lot of other students were outside as well because it was such a nice day. The sun was shining brightly, though there were some clouds in the sky. They sat at their usual spot, which was under a large cherry blossom tree. It shaded the area nicely so that the hot beams from the sun's ray wouldn't glare on them.

"So, I've been wondering for a while now," Ino started. Sakura raised an eyebrow signaling for her to continue on with her thought. "About that boy. You know the one that was staring at you before."

"What about him?" Sakura barked out. Ino almost burst out laughing at Sakura's tone of voice. It had been a couple of days since the "incident" happened. Ever since then, whenever she brought it up, the pink-haired girl would just deny everything. Sakura's reactions were the cutest but Ino was getting tired of this game and decided to help her friend out. Her obliviousness was such a pain at times. Besides, that dark-headed boy just walked into the courtyard.

"Let me just get straight to the point. He likes you," the blonde-haired girl pointed out bluntly.

"…"

"Forehead?"

Sakura's mouth twitched into a small smirk, "You're kidding me, right?"

"Uh, no!" Ino raised her voice a bit, trying to make a point that what she was saying was true.

"Look, he doesn't, okay? I thought we went through this already?" A small pout was starting to appear on Sakura's pale face. Her eyebrows were scrunched up as she let out a huff in disdain. Ino didn't know what she was talking about. She refused to believe any of these conclusions her best friend was making.

"Fine, I'll prove it to you, look that way. But not so obviously, okay?" Sakura rolled her eyes as she glanced in the direction her friend told her to.

The dark-headed boy was walking next to a girl named Tenten, a girl that Sakura had class with last year. Well, whatever Tenten was saying to the boy was obviously embarrassing him since he was glaring back while blushing. But Sakura would hold no sympathy towards a creep. After just quietly observing the pair, the boy finally gestured at Sakura while saying something.

"He's talking about my hair, Pig." Her left eye started twitching as she looked back at the pair on the other side of the courtyard.

"Forehead, forget about that. You know how I can read lips pretty well?"

"Uh, sure?" Sakura lifted an eyebrow as she looked suspiciously at Ino.

"Well, I think he said 'that's the girl.'"

"Yeah! That's the girl with the pink freaking hair!" Sakura pumped her fist in the air bearing her teeth.

"Are you still going on with this hair nonsense?" her blonde-headed friend rolled her eyes. Seriously, Sakura's stubbornness could actually ruin any chances of her getting with the cute stranger. She sighed as she placed her head on her hand. She just wanted to be a good friend, but all this effort in trying to convince a stubborn, oblivious Forehead girl would go to waste.

"Yes! Because it's pretty obvious he's talking about it." The pink-haired girl nodded to herself as she folded her arms across her chest.

The two continued to secretly watch the brunette and the dark-headed boy across the courtyard throughout lunch. It seemed like they were done talking as they walked back into the school building. As they entered, Hinata appeared exiting out. She approached them quickly as she sat down next to them under the cherry blossom trees.

"Wasn't that the boy from the movies?" she asked, blinking her eyes in disbelief.

"Yeah, why?"

"Um, well..." Hinata mumbled, placing a fist in front of her lips in deep thought.

"What is it, Hinata?" Sakura looked at her dark-headed friend curiously. Did something happen between them?

"I think he was blushing."

"Hah, Forehead! I was right! He has a thing for you!" Sakura let out a groan as she placed both her hands over her face. However, the deep blush that covered her cheeks did not go unnoticed by her blonde friend.

* * *

 

"Time to get some quality studying time at the library!" Sakura yawned as she stretched her arms up in the air. Sometimes, after school, Sakura and Hinata would go to the school library to do homework. It was a quiet space that had very little distractions and lots of books for reference. Plus, to their surprise, not a lot of students would be there when school ended.

"I think I'll do a bit of reading," Hinata said thoughtfully.

After opening the sliding doors, the two entered the library that was filled with bookcases and tables. As they made their way to a free table, Sakura, unfortunately, noticed that _he_ was there.

"Oh great, just my luck," she mumbled to herself, shaking her head as she pulled out a chair and plopped down on it.

Hinata just grinned as she said, "I'll be looking at books then."

The pink-headed girl nodded in return as she took out some textbooks from her briefcase to study from. She was going to have a big English exam and didn't want to ruin her top ranking spot of getting the highest score in her class. 

As she was studying, a couple of tables away she heard a lot of whispering. Out of curiosity, Sakura lifted her head up. There was duck-butt and his friend, however, she didn't know who the other girl was this time. She was probably just as annoying as him. The girl across from him kept on glancing in her direction while whispering something to the dark-headed boy. A light blush grazed his cheeks as he looked down in embarrassment. He took out a pen and started writing something in his notebook. After, he slid it to the girl across from him to read. She read the notebook intently and giggled.

"What the heck are they talking about?" Sakura muttered to herself. She was pretty sure they were talking about her, but what could they be saying? She jumped in surprise as she saw the girl from the table jump up out of her seat. The girl then continued by pointing in Sakura's direction and speaking. The boy's eyes widened as he turned his head to look.

"She's right there!"

It seemed as though time had just stopped. Sakura didn't know why, but she couldn't keep her eyes away from his. When their eyes met, neither were able to turn away or break contact. God, she knew he was good looking, but how could he be so gorgeous? Maybe she underestimated his looks at bit before, but now getting a good look at him... he was something else. Their eye contact soon broke as Hinata came back with a stack of books in hand. 

" _D-daijobu,_ Sakura-chan?"

"Eh?"

Hinata's eyes widened in realization as she noted, "Your face is red."

"EH!?" Sakura exclaimed as she started patting her cheeks in disbelief. What the heck just happened? She shyly glanced back to where the handsome boy was. His face was hidden behind his arms as he laid his head down on the table. The girl across from him was laughing really hard.

What was this connection she just felt? It felt like a small spark was being lit inside of her.

* * *

 

"Ino, I'm gonna go buy some melon bread before it runs out."

"Alright, if you can, buy me one too!"

Sakura raised a delicate pink eyebrow as she said, "You owe me... _again_."

"Just buy me my bread!"

Sakura shook her head laughing as she left the classroom. After going down two flights of stairs, she made her way to the cafeteria where the school was selling some food. There was already a large line so Sakura quickly got on it, determined to buy the very popular melon bread. 

As she turned her head, _he_ was suddenly within her sight. She noticed he had money in his hand, so he was also probably going to buy something as well. Next to him were Tenten and Neji. They looked like they were having a deep conversation until Tenten stopped and looked in her direction. Sakura looked down at the ground as she felt several pairs of eyes staring at her.

A blush appeared on her face, though she hid it well behind her soft pink locks. The line was finally moving and Sakura was lucky enough to get the last melon bread. Sakura also bought a small coffee drink for Ino since there wasn't any bread left. As she left the line, she saw Hinata.

"Hi, Hinata!"

"Oh, hello, Sakura _-chan_ ," Hinata beamed back.

As they continued talking, using her peripheral view, she saw the dark-headed boy to the left of them. Sneakily, she glanced to the left trying to be discreet as possible. He was talking to Tenten, well, more like Tenten was the one talking.

"Sasuke." The brown-headed bun girl nudged him as she moved her head in the pink-haired girl’s direction.

 _Sasuke?_ So that was his name. A small smile formed on her face without her realization. 

"Oh, well I better bring this back to Ino then. I'll see you later, Hinata." Sakura bowed.

As she left, Sakura turned her head to see him one more time. He was looking back at her, however, there was a serious look on his face before he looked away. Pausing a bit, she shook her head and continued on her way back to the classroom.

She was seeing him _everywhere_. He couldn't possibly have feelings for her, could he? And what was this warm bubbly feeling she had whenever she looked at him? Everything was becoming so confusing.

* * *

 As she was in deep contemplation, Sakura was walking down the halls holding a big stack of papers. It was her turn to bring down the papers to the teacher's office. As she continued down the hall, a group of girls were talking on the side. It looked like they were gossiping about something. Though Sakura was not one for eavesdropping, she could not help but overhear the conversation as she was passing them.

"Did you hear? Sasuke- _kun_ actually went on a date with Karin."

"Really? That's a surprise. He doesn't seem like the type to say yes to those type of things."

"But the thing is, he did. She must be one special girl."

The girls nodded their heads agreeing on the last statement. Sakura paused for a second trying to process what she just heard. Did he really agree to go out with this Karin girl?

She whispered to herself, "But I thought— 

She glanced back to the group of girls and looked to the ground in deep thought. Maybe she was over analyzing _everything_. There was no way Sasuke would be interested in a girl like her. But after all those moments they shared, it seemed like he was into her. The looks, the blushing, what could that all mean then?

"Why am I getting so worked up over this anyway?"

Sakura let out a deep breath of air before continuing towards the teacher's office. This was the last thing she wanted on her mind right now.

* * *

 

"Why am I so depressed after hearing that? It has nothing to do with me. It's none of my business, yet..." Sakura continued staring at the ground while her thoughts jumbled around in her head. Her eyebrows scrunched together as a deep frown started settling onto her face.

"Hey, Forehead! Why the sad look?"

"It's nothing," the pinkette tried brushing it off.

"So you heard about what happened with Sasuke- _kun_?" Ino said carefully.

Sakura's eyes shot up from the floor to stare bewilderedly back, "W-what? I'm not upset over that."

"Oh come on! It's written all over your face."

"I-I, oh, I just don't know, Ino. I didn't know hearing something like this could affect me so much. I mean, I don't even know him, but after the library... and now this. God, I'm so confused." Sakura laid her head on her desk trying to cover her sad face with her hair. She did not want Ino to see how upset she was. Being the subject of worry would just burden her and Sakura did not want that.

"I think it's pretty obvious how you feel."

"Eh?" With a confused look, the pink-haired girl sat up and stared at the blonde across from her. 

Ino sighed, "Think about it, Sakura, why else would you be upset?"

Sakura could give no answer. She just stared back dumbly at her best friend.

Ino rolled her eyes at her best friend’s continued obliviousness. God, she would be the end of her. The blonde continued, "I mean, if I heard Kiba went out with some girl, I would be upset too. I like him so much, how could I not to be affected? You know?"

"I-Ino, you're mistaken, I—

Ino glared before the pinkette had a chance to continue. "Think about it. Seriously."

* * *

 

"So, we're meeting up outside the classroom after school ends. We'll just decide then what to do."

"Alright, I'm excited. Maybe we should go do karaoke, it's been a while," Sakura giggled to her best friend.

After class ended, and Sakura and Ino got all their books to bring home, they waited outside of their classroom for Hinata.

"Hinata!" A big smile appeared on Sakura's face.

"Sakura _-chan_. Ino _-chan_. Hello," a small smile appeared on the girl's face.

After their friends arrival, Ino started blabbering about where they should go for their hang out. Meanwhile, Sakura got distracted as she noticed Sasuke from across the hallway. He was with Tenten again. Sakura did not want to make it obvious she was looking at them, so she positioned herself to look as if she was staring at Ino. In reality, she was really looking at the two of them. It was sneaky, but it's not like they would notice. They were standing towards the back of Ino, so it was perfect.

As she was observing the pair, she noticed Tenten nudge Sasuke as she used her head to point in the trio's direction. Sakura noted that this was becoming very common. In return, he raised an eyebrow at the girl incredulously as he shook his head. He briefly glanced in Sakura's direction as Sakura continued to pretend she was looking at Ino.

They started talking but since they were across the hall, Sakura could not hear what their conversation was about. With a mischievous smile, Tenten tried to push him a little. Since he was so much taller than her, it did not really work. He then turned around towards the bun-headed girl and it looked as if he was scolding her. 

"Go talk to her." A whispered shout came from his brunette friend. Sakura's heart stopped as she heard this. Did she hear this right? Is that what she really said?

Sasuke glared at the girl for her rashness and sighed. With that, the two started walking and while they passed Sakura's group, their pace slowed down just a bit.

"Alright! Now that we have decided, let's go."

"W-what? Oh yeah, um, let's go!" Sakura nodded, not knowing what she agreed on. Absentmindedly, she followed her friends towards the staircase as she continued thinking about what Tenten said previously.

The trio left in the opposite direction of Tenten and Sasuke. Sakura really wanted to look back at him, but decided against it. Secretly, she wished that he really did go talk to her. She wanted to know what he really felt for her. But it was too late for that now because they already went their separate ways.

* * *

 

"Ino, I think I'm going to go talk to him," Sakura said randomly as they were walking home one day. 

"Eh?" Ino stopped in her tracks, dumbfounded by what she just heard.

"I mean, if he won't go talk to me, then I'm going to go talk to him."

The blonde continued to stare at Sakura, still laced with shock over what she just heard her say. “Are you serious?" 

"I'm serious this time, I'm tired of waiting and I want something to happen. I don't want to sit back and later on regret not doing anything. At least with this, if I get rejected, at least I know I tried my best and I went for it." Sakura smirked with a determined look in her eyes.

"Then I'm with you 100 percent ! It's about time you took the initiative," Ino smirked as she looked on pridefully at her best friend.

* * *

 

The next day after class ended, they decided to go to the library. Apparently, Sasuke went to the library a lot after school, so this would be the best chance Sakura would get in talking with him.

"You can do this," Ino encouraged the pinkette. They were just about to enter the library when the girl in front of her paused.

"I can do it!"

"That's the spirit." Ino smiled as she placed her hand on the door handle of the library. Right when she was about to slide it open, Sakura interrupted her.

"I can't do this, Ino. I'm leaving!" Sakura turned her body around and was about to run away when Ino grabbed her shoulder.

"Oh no you're not! You're going to do this and I won't let you leave until you do!" With a scared expression, Sakura nodded her head and reluctantly entered the library with the blonde.

"Sit here and I'll sit at this back table in view of you. It'll be easier for you to go up to him if you're by yourself, and he won't even notice that I'll be spying on you guys."

"Alright. Thanks...I guess."

With a thumbs up to her friend, Ino went to the back table and pretended to busy herself with studying and homework. Sakura sighed as her heart started to beat furiously. This was the first time she would actually try and talk to a crush. In the past, Sakura would only look at them from a distance, but this time, she was actually going to do something about it. With newfound determination, Sakura waited for him patiently.

Five minutes turned to ten, then to thirty-five, and then to an hour. Sakura looked out the window to see the sun was starting to set. She smiled sadly to herself as she began gathering her belongings. She walked up to Ino's table and whispered, "Pig, let's go."

"S-Sakura. I—

"So what if he's not here today. He might be here tomorrow. Just because he doesn't show up one day doesn't mean I'm giving up. I'm coming here everyday until he shows up because I'm going to talk to him and that's that."

Ino smiled, relieved, "I'm really happy for you, Forehead."

"Thanks, Pig. I'm really happy that I'm doing this. Hopefully, everything turns out well, right?"

They both giggled as they left the library.

* * *

 

"Sakura _-chan_ , can you go out to the store and get me some eggs?" her mother yelled from the kitchen. From the delicious smell invading her senses, Sakura could tell her mom was beginning to cook dinner. Her mouth savored at the thought of all the good food her mother would make.

"Sure! I'll be back in a bit." Sakura walked towards the entryway of the house, changing from her indoor shoes to her outdoor shoes, and then she was out the door.

"What a nice day to be outside!" She stretched her arms out, basking in the sun's setting rays. She hummed to herself as she held her hands at the back of her body. After 10 minutes of walking, she arrived at a small convenience store. The doors slid open automatically as she entered. She walked all the way to the back of the store where they kept the dairy products. She took out a pack of eggs and headed towards the cashier. After paying, she grabbed the bag and made her way out the door.

"Hm, I'll stop by the park before I go home," Sakura thought as she crossed the street to where the park was located. There weren't many people, though there were a few kids playing on the playground. Sakura liked the swings the best as a child. As she was walking towards the swings, she saw a group of girls from her high school. Again, though the pinkette didn't mean to eavesdrop, it wasn't her fault since they were talking so loud.

"Aren't they so cute together?" One of the girls squealed as she jumped up and down in excitement.

"It's about time they made it official," another girl nodded her head vigorously.

"I'm so happy for them!"

With a questioning stare, Sakura looked in the direction the group of girls were looking at.

_It couldn't be._

"Eh? Did you hear something?"

"Oh gross! Someone dropped eggs on the floor!"

* * *

 

"I-Ino?" Desperation was evident in her voice, but she didn't care. She needed to talk to someone.

"Sakura? Are you okay?"

The pink-haired girl hiccuped, "I'm not going to the library... _ever_."

"Sakura— 

"H-he, he... Sasuke- _kun_ has a girlfriend now!" Sakura started crying and she was explaining to her friend what she witnessed earlier at the park.

"Oh god, Sakura. I'm so sorry!" 

"No, I'm sorry for taking up your time over this. I just needed to tell someone and—

A sob escaped Sakura's lips as tears started to pour from her eyes. It's been a while since Sakura cried this hard. She was trying so hard to be strong and to let Ino know what happened, but her crying prevented her from saying anything. Her chest was hurting and as she kneeled to the ground. She couldn't help but to cry even more.

"It's going to be alright, Sakura. Believe me, please."

"I wish I could. I don’t know why I let myself fall so hard."

“We can’t help who we love, Sakura.” 

“But it was over before anything even started.”

* * *

 

The next few days at school were no better. Time went by so slow and Sakura felt so empty and lost. She just went by her daily routine just trying to focus on her work and anything that had nothing to do with _him_. 

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I mean there's nothing that I could do about it now. I guess I really did just over analyze everything." A sad smile appeared on the the girl’s face. She wanted Ino to know she was okay, even if she was falling apart inside. More than anything, Sakura just needed to get through the rest of the semester and learn to let go.

"I-It's all my fault. If I didn't say that he liked you and— 

"Ino, it's not your fault. I actually believed it too. Let's not talk about it anymore, okay? I just want to forget and move on because that's the only thing I could do now."

* * *

 

Honestly, Sakura was not doing all right. Even though she had yet to see him, she could not prevent herself from thinking of what happened. But it was inevitable. She let her feelings grow too much even before she talked to the guy. A sigh of frustration left her mouth as she prepared herself for lunchtime. 

Ino asked, "Sakura, do you want to go to the courtyard to eat lunch?"

Sakura shook her head no. _He_ might be there and she didn’t think she could face him. "No thanks, I think I'd rather stay inside the classroom. You can if you want though."

"No, it's fine. We can eat lunch inside."

"I'm just going to go buy a drink real quick, I'll be back." Sakura got out her wallet from her briefcase. With a nod to Ino, she left the classroom.

As she entered the cafeteria, from the corner of her eye, she saw him. He was on line, probably going to buy something quick to eat. She took a deep breath in as she decided against looking at him. She went to the vending machine and quickly put in her money and pressed the buttons to get a small can of coffee.

After getting the drink, she quickly left the cafeteria without even sparing a glance in his direction. In order to get over him, she could no longer look at him anymore. He was taken, and there was no way in hell Sakura was a homewrecker.

As she started climbing up the stairs, she let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding in. She thought she would be okay, but she was wrong. Even though she barely saw him, feelings of hurt started to swell up in her chest.

Although she promised herself she would not cry over him anymore, Sakura could not keep herself from breaking it.

* * *

 

"What am I doing with myself?"

It was pathetic to be sulking though it had been weeks since the incident. She still couldn't get over the idea that he was taken. It was ironic though. The day she was going to take a chance on him, he got himself a girlfriend.

All these feelings were attacking her. What was even worse was having that one memory repeat over and over in her head. It was just her luck that she would see _them_ after school near the shoe lockers. She didn't even come to terms with his new "status" until she actually saw him with _her_.

_Sakura was going home late one afternoon because she was helping with one of the school clubs she was in. After changing her shoes to her outdoor ones, she headed towards the exit._

_"Mou, Sasuke-kun! You promised!"_

_Sasuke-kun? Sakura froze. She stood still behind the shoes lockers afraid of what she might see if she were to look around. At the sound of his name, her mind blanked. Of all the times to go home... Sakura breathed in deeply. She wasn't ready for this. Her heart began to accelerate so fast, she couldn't even think straight anymore. But curiosity got the best of her. Was Karin everything he really wanted? Was he happy with her? Even though it was against her better judgment, Sakura wanted to know what this girl looked like. She wanted to see the girl who stole his heart. She let out a short breath as she slowly peaked around the lockers._

_Karin, as she should have expected, was a very pretty girl. She had beautiful red hair that was quite layered but was stylish. She also had on black frames that gave her a very mature, sophisticated look and made her red eyes appear bigger. Her stature was petite but she looked great in the school uniform. She just exuded confidence and everything Sakura was not. She hated to admit it, but Karin looked very good standing next to Sasuke. They complemented each other so well. With a bit of hesitation, she shyly glanced to the handsome boy standing next to her. Her stomach dropped._

_The way he was looking at her...He had on a smirk as he was staring down at the redhead. Sakura had never seen him smile at anyone, and this was the closest thing to a smile she had ever seen on his face. They truly looked like the perfect couple. They just suited each other so well, how could Sakura ever compete with that? Without her realization, her eyes began to water at the scene before her. At least he was happy with her. She tried to think positively, but the pure jealousy bubbling up inside her would not cease. Her head fell down as she stared at the ground thinking of how foolish she was. Sasuke would never like a girl like her, not when he had someone like Karin._

_"Hn. Karin, let's go."_

_Sakura stayed in her spot as they left and remained there for a while. Her tears felt like they were forever flowing._

"Well, don't I have rotten luck?" she laughed bitterly to herself as she stared at the homework in front of her. After recalling such a memory, she was having difficulty focusing on her tasks. As she stretched her arms up in the air, she decided she needed a break, so she went to the kitchen. Her parents were sitting at the table. It looked like they were in deep conversation because when she entered, they stopped talking.

"Perfect timing, Sakura _-chan_ , we need to speak with you." Hesitantly, Sakura took a seat at the table across from her mother and father.

"Sakura, your mother and I have some important news to tell you." It was strange to hear her dad so serious. Usually, it was her mother that was the serious one. Despite her Dad being a salaryman and working for a big corporation, he had a wonderful sense of humor and was light-hearted.

"What is it?"

"I'm just going to get straight to the point. I'm getting transferred to _Suna_ because the company is opening a new building there. They have appointed me to help get it started and look things over. This promotion is a big deal for me and I know you love it here in _Konoha_ , but please try and understand that I have been waiting for this promotion for a while."

"Sakura _-chan_ ," her mother said softly. Worry was evident on her face, and although Sakura hated the idea of moving, she would not go against the wishes of her parents. With a sigh, Sakura nodded her head.

With a sad smile on her face, she answered, "I understand, _otou-san_. Congratulations, I'm really happy for you, honestly."

"That's a relief to hear, thank you," her father nodded before taking a sip of water. There was a silent pause between the three as her parents worries began to ease.

Sakura hesitated before quietly asking, "When are we leaving exactly?"

"Well, since your spring semester is ending soon, we'll be moving out after you have finished. So the beginning of summer break we will be moving to _Suna_." 

Sakura nodded as she gathered herself up and slowly made her way towards the door. "Alright, thanks for letting me know."

"I know you're sad, but it's not like you'll never see your friends again," her mother tried to help her daughter remain hopeful. 

Sakura paused in step before mumbling, "I _know_ , _okaa-san._ " The pair watched as their daughter quickly left the kitchen to go back to her room. 

"That's not the only thing I'll be sad about anyway."

* * *

 

Days passed and Sakura barely saw Sasuke anymore. She continued to avoid the places he would most likely be at because it would just remind her of everything that had happened. She especially didn't want to see Sasuke and Karin together, again. Her heart would break even more than before. Though it had been a while since she found out about his relationship, the stinging pain in her chest would not go away.

She then began to think that moving away would probably help with getting over him. The distance would be good for her. At least she would not have to bump into him at school. Though no matter how much it hurt, she had to be strong for herself.

The semester finally ended and Sakura, as usual, passed her exams with flying colors so she would not have to do any make up exams over the summer. She already had the transfer papers handed in and mostly everything in her house was packed in boxes for her family's departure. It was the last day of the semester as well as the last day of her being in _Konoha._  As a "going away" gift, her friends and classmates decided to gather up outside of _Konoha_ High to give a departing farewell after exams ended.

"Stop crying, Pig," Sakura smiled softly as she gently pulled her best friend into a hug.

"Well sorry, my best friend is leaving me for _Suna!_ " She could then hear another soft sob to the right of her.

"Hinata, don't you start too."

"I-I'm s-s-sorry!" There were tears flowing down both friend’s eyes.

"Guys, you're going to make my leaving really difficult. I want to leave with a smile. Please, no tears." Sakura's eyes started to tear up as she looked at her crying friends. She was definitely going to miss seeing them everyday.

"I'm really going to miss you guys. Really, I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me. I appreciate it so much. I'm so thankful that I have friends like you. I don't know what I would've done without you." Sakura bowed to them in gratitude. As she stood back up, Ino and Hinata flung themselves onto the pinkette for another embrace.

"It's not like we're never going to see each other, so there's no need to thank us," Ino replied as tears ran down her face.

"This isn't goodbye."

"You're right. Besides, I'm only two hours away. We can still see each other on the weekends and during breaks."

"It won't be the same without you," Hinata shook her head as she wiped her tears away.

"I was really looking forward to graduating with you too."

Sakura nodded as her friends went to call their classmates over. She looked back towards the courtyard and there _he_ was. He was with Tenten and Neji, it looked like he was in a deep conversation with them. No matter how much she wanted to look away, she couldn't. This would be the last time she would see him. And then, he turned his head and looked at her. For a second, her breath caught in her throat and she tensed up. For that one second, he was looking at _her_ and she was looking at _him_. No Tenten, no Karin, no distractions.

It was _their_ moment.

And in that moment, all she wanted to do was run up to him, hold him, and tell him everything. Tell him that she liked him. Tell him that she should be with him, not Karin. Tell him that she didn't want to move away. She was so ready to do so as well.

But it ended as soon as it began.

Ino and the others called her over to take some pictures before she had to leave. Sakura quickly broke the eye contact and walked over to her friends, her eyes feeling watery again. She tried her best to smile in the pictures, making sure it didn't show her real pain.

"We were never meant to be," Sakura chuckled sadly to herself. She then put on a fake smile as she accepted the presents from her friends and classmates. 

As her friends bowed and gave their last goodbyes, she looked back one more time to the courtyard where he last was. He was no longer there. She looked down at the ground with tears flowing down her cheeks and a bittersweet smile. This was the end. There were no more chances to take.

Now all she could do was walk away.

* * *

  _I hope you become very happy with her._

_Good-bye, Sasuke-kun._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Majority of this story was based off of real events that have happened to me. It was a little difficult to recount those events, but I hope you enjoy reading what I have put together! By the way, I do not support SasuKarin but unfortunately, it was needed for the sake of the story.
> 
> Reviews are appreciated.
> 
> ~Momo


	2. High School is Not like the Movies

This whole year he had gone by unnoticed, invisible, _unimportant_. He really wanted to be part of her life, but what was holding him back? 

 _Rejection._  

He was scared, believe it or not. Rejection was just something he couldn't handle well. Not since he was a child and his father would continually deny him of attention. Not since his brother would go off, dismissing him from quality time spent together. 

And certainly it wouldn't count now. Not by _her_.

Yet there he was, waiting for her to notice him. She didn't even know who he was.

_But she was different._

He never had hope in anything before, not until he saw her. Why was it that she was the only one that affected him? Why couldn't he let go just like all the other times? All he wanted was for her to _notice_ him. 

The feelings may be different this time, but who he was… he would _never_ be something he wasn't. So he decided he would continue to watch from a distance. 

_Because that's what he has always done._

* * *

 

 _Run_. That was the only thought going through his mind right now. Keep running.

"Sasuke, where are you going?"

"Wait! Sasuke!"

He ignored the calls of his friends as he turned back towards the courtyard. Even though he accepted that they would never be together and that she was too risky to take a chance on, the look in her eyes today was different. He needed to know the truth behind that look. It was as if she was looking at him with a mix of regret, sadness, anger, and... love?

It couldn't end without him knowing for sure. It didn’t feel right. He promised himself he wouldn't do this again, but when it came to her, none of it seemed to matter right now. After running through the building and out the doors, he finally arrived back to the courtyard where he last saw her. Looking at the place where she last was with her friends and classmates, he found that it was completely empty.

She was gone.

Sasuke felt a pang in his chest as he continued to stare at the empty spot. Even though he knew it would never work out for them, why was he feeling so much regret at this instance? Why did taking the safe route end up with him feeling like this? It only added to the guilt as the last image he had of her was _that_ look.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. So this was it. This was how the semester would end.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" The bun-headed girl asked though out of breath as she caught up to him.

The long haired boy stopping beside her also questioned, "Why did you suddenly run off like that?"

Sasuke stayed silent as he contemplated what just occurred. 

"Sasuke?" the brunette girl kept inquiring.

He shook his head as he turned around to leave, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

* * *

 

It was lunchtime and Sasuke and his best friend, Tenten, decided to hang out outside in the courtyard. For the past couple of days, ever since the movie incident, Sasuke had been giving clues to the brunette girl about his so called "crush." He was embarrassed, to say the least, that he didn't even know her name. Every time Tenten would bring it up, Sasuke would have no answer because he didn't even know who the pink-haired girl was. It seemed like today was another countless day Tenten would try and pry into his love life. 

"So tell me the identity of this girl." Tenten looked at him as she rested her head against her hands. She raised an eyebrow at him as if expecting to finally be told who the mystery girl was.

"No."

"Oh come on! I'm your best friend, we're supposed to talk about these things. You told me about all the times you saw her yet you can't even tell me her name? Stop being so secretive," Tenten scoffed. She hated how he never told her anything. She always had to beg and annoy him until he would finally admit defeat and tell her.

"No."

But it seemed like he wasn't going to give in to her, again.

"Why not? You're such a killjoy."

Sasuke glared, "Hn."

As Tenten began to pout, he noticed a pair of girls across the courtyard. They were talking quite animatedly with each other. One had blonde hair tied up into a ponytail while the other had pink hair that resembled the cherry blossom trees that surrounded them. Upon sight of the pink-haired girl, Sasuke let out a small gasp. He was still embarrassed thinking about the time she had caught him staring at her in front of the school gates.

He could remember it as if it was yesterday. Just thinking about it made him reel in embarrassment all over again.

_Sasuke was waiting at the school gates for Itachi, his older brother, to pick him up from school. His brother messaged him that he would be slightly late so in the meantime, he decided to take out a book from his bag. As he leaned against the wall of the school gates, he began to read. A few minutes in, he heard some loud voices that were coming from the entrance of the school._

_He tried to block out the noise but he was getting too distracted. He couldn’t concentrate with all the yelling and laughing. As he looked up, he saw two girls exit the building. He froze. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was the girl from the movie theater! Ever since that night, he couldn’t stop thinking about her even though he knew he would never see her again. She was the perfect description of his ideal type⏤physically of course. Small and petite, beautiful colored eyes, and a very kind smile. Although he never imagined pink hair, the unique color made her even more likeable in his eyes. It reminded him of his late mother’s favorite flower: the cherry blossom._

_He blinked a couple of times trying to make sure this was real life. He couldn’t believe he never noticed that they had went to the same school. How come this was the first time he ever saw her? Sure their school was large but he’s pretty sure that after two years, he’d recognized a lot of people at this point._  

_The shock from seeing her would not leave but he continued to observe her. Not thinking he would be caught, he watched as she said hello to Gaara and talked to her blonde best friend. Completely unaware of his hard stare, her best friend then had a strange look on her face. After something the blonde said, the pink-haired girl looked up and their eyes met. For a split second his breath caught in his throat, but he quickly realized the situation. Completely embarrassed about being caught staring, he closed his book, grabbed his stuff, and ran home. Itachi would later scold him for not telling him ahead of time that he didn’t need to be picked up anymore._

"Hello? Sasuke? Hey! Over here!"

"What is it?" Sasuke asked with an annoyed expression. He was trying hard to forget about those two embarrassing incidents, but Tenten had to interrupt him.

The girl gasped in sudden realization, "Oh my god."

"What?"

"It's one of those girls, isn't it?" His eyes widened. How could he be so stupid? He totally gave it away with all the staring. He really needed to stop that because it seemed he was always getting caught.

He tried denying it by saying, "What? No!"

"It totally is! Just tell me already!" 

Sasuke looked to the side, not wanting Tenten to see his slightly blushing face. He decided that it would be best just to tell her so she could shut up and finally leave him alone.

He sighed, "Fine, the girl with the pink hair... that's the girl."

"Oh my god, Haruno Sakura?" Tenten stood up from her seat before he could blink. An incredulous expression was present on her face.

"You _know_ her?"

"I had a class with her last year, why? Want me to hook you guys up?" His eyes perked up a bit at the thought but then he quickly dismissed it. He didn’t need Tenten interfering. He knew that would just end in disaster.

Sasuke shook his head, "Look, that's not the problem."

"No, the problem is that you're creepy."

"What?"

"Dude, all the times she saw you, she caught you staring at her. She probably thinks you're a creep," Tenten chuckled to herself. She wanted to laugh so badly thinking about how he messed up. When it came to the opposite sex, Sasuke was terrible at talking, approaching, and even being around them. The reason why she was the exception was because she was a childhood friend. They knew each other for too long. She was with Neji anyway.

"No, she doesn't," Sasuke tried to retort, but failed miserably to refute her claims.

"Uh, yeah. Tell me, how creepy is it to walk past a group of people with all of them staring at you? Huh?" 

"..."

"And how creepy is it to catch someone staring at you and have that said person run away 'cause they got caught? Huh?"

"..."

"See, it is creepy. Jeez, you finally show interest in a girl and you already lost your chances," Tenten shook her head in fake disappointment. She really loved teasing Sasuke, especially when it came to girls. So many girls had crushes on him, including some of her girl friends, but he was so oblivious. Besides that, his scary persona prevented any girls from actually approaching him. If he just smiled from time to time, maybe Sakura would change her mind about him being a creep. She rolled her eyes thinking of all the chances he could have had in actually having a girlfriend.

"Che. Whatever."

They both stood up from the bench and started walking towards the school. However, he couldn't help but to sneak a quick peek at Sakura. God, she was cute. Though it was quite minuscule, another blush appeared on his pale cheeks. He tried to hide it but probably failed as Sakura's friend from the movie theatre walked past them. Her looks were uncannily like Neji. That must be the cousin Neji was talking about earlier. Something about forgetting his _bento_ box at home.

"Oh, I didn't know Neji's cousin was Sakura's friend. Now you have even more connections, Sasuke. Me and Neji can hook you up with her." Tenten raised her eyebrows up suggestively.

"Oh, shut up already."

* * *

 

Sasuke would always go to the library after school ended. It was just a quiet place where he could think, do homework, and not be bothered so much. Not a lot of people went there anyway, which he liked even more. However, Temari, another best friend of Tenten, decided to join him today and that meant no peace and quiet for him. They weren't really close, but they had a lot of classes together. Honestly, he should have known something would happen. She was just as mischievous as Tenten. He shouldn't have agreed to let her sit at his table.

"Why do you always come here after school?" Temari asked as she tapped her pen up and down on the table.

"I don't know, to study?" Sasuke barked out in frustration. All he wanted to do was finish his homework. Was that too much to ask for?

"Haha, I love the sarcasm," the dirty blonde rolled her eyes.

Their conversation suddenly stopped when Sasuke noticed Temari staring to the right of their table. Sasuke turned his head to look in that direction and choked at the sight. Haruno Sakura was right there. Sasuke turned around quickly to glare at the girl sitting across from him.

"Temari," Sasuke growled lowly as his left eye began to twitch, "staring is considered rude."

"I wasn't staring, just looking." She smiled while twirling her pen around with her fingers.

The boy sighed in defeat, "Okay, what did Tenten tell you?"

"Nothing. Just mentioned a certain cherry blossom." Her smile was almost comparable to the Cheshire Cat from _Alice in Wonderland_.

"God, I swear I can never trust that girl." Sasuke sighed again as he placed his hands over his face.

"Hey, she didn't tell me, you're just way too obvious about it."

"What?"

Her voice suddenly raised in volume, "Well—

"Be quiet," Sasuke gave a whispered shout. A heavy blush appeared on his face as he looked down at the table in embarrassment. He sighed as he grabbed a notebook and pen and started writing. After, he slid the notebook across the table for the girl to read.

_Okay I like her. Just don't give it away. I'm planning to talk to her soon._

Temari just giggled in response. She never thought she would see this side of Sasuke. Tenten was right about teasing him. It was definitely amusing.

"Why not talk to her now? I mean, she's here. Wouldn't it be easier?" Temari suggested nonchalantly.

"No, I can't when you're here. You'll stare at us and embarrass me."

The dirty blonde raised an eyebrow at the boy before her. 

"It's none of your business anyway."

Temari smirked in response. _Let's make it my business then. This will be interesting._ The dirty blonde suddenly stood up from the table, pointed her hand in the cherry blossom's direction, and shouted, "She's right there!"

The sudden outburst made Sasuke panic as he looked in the pink-haired girl's direction. Her jade eyes looked upon his in curiosity. Even though it was so embarrassing, he couldn't look away. The color of her eyes were just too beautiful. He had never seen a color like it before. He didn't know how long they were staring at each other, but it seemed like so long.

It wasn't until Neji's cousin arrived did their eye contact break a part. He couldn't explain the spark he felt right then. She _looked_ at him. She actually _noticed_ him. _And they looked at each other_. He looked up at the smirking blonde before him. He frowned.

"Oh god." A deeper blush, if that was even possible, spread across his face as he laid his head on the table. He didn't want anyone to see him so he hid his face behind his arms. Sakura probably really thought he was a freak now. A creepy freak. Great.

Temari chuckled as she sat back down. She pulled out her phone and decided to email Tenten about the incident.

After Sakura and her friend left, Sasuke received an email message from Tenten that read:

_So, movie tomorrow?_

Sasuke typed back: _Sure._

_Oh, can Karin come? I know she wants to see it too._

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he read the message. Not Karin. Now that he thought about it, Tenten was inviting Karin a lot to their hangouts. Sasuke sighed. Whatever, it wasn't like he cared that much anyway. 

_Hn._

Tenten typed back: _I'll take that as a yes then._  

Sasuke closed his phone and decided to get back to his homework. He had to remember to never sit with Temari at the library again.

* * *

 

After school ended the next day, he waited outside of the school building where the entrance gates were. It seemed strange that Tenten and Neji weren't there yet since they usually were early. It wasn't like they had any class duties after school anyway. He sighed, impatient as ever. Soon he heard voices approaching.

It was Karin with her group of lackeys following behind her. She had the biggest smile on her face and she was giggling with the girls behind her.

"Sorry guys, I'm going on a date with Sasuke- _kun._ "

"Wait, what?" Sasuke tried to question her about it but she just ignored him as she waved goodbye to her friends. 

"I'll see you guys later!"

As soon as they left, the raven-headed boy turned to the redhead. He was not amused at all. Before saying anything, his ringtone went off. He checked his phone and saw that it was an email message from Tenten. Sasuke cursed under his breath. Out of all the times not to show up, they chose this moment.

"Karin, this is _not_ a date."

Karin ignored his short state of anger as she replied, "Sorry, they've been pestering me about going to this group blind date. I told them I already had a date to go to today, and it just so happened that we had plans to hang out." She gave him a wink.

"Hn."

Karin gave a small smile as she brought her arms behind her back, "Besides, it kind of is a date. We're going to see a movie together, which is totally what couples do alone."

Sasuke's mouth began to twitch thinking about the two ditchers. He was so going to yell at Tenten later for this. "That's only because Tenten and Neji had to cancel."

Karin walked faster than turned around and stopped right in front of Sasuke. Sasuke stopped before the girl and glowered down at her. She peered up at him, a victorious smirk present on her face, "But you're still going with me despite that. You could have just told me you didn't want to go yet you didn't."

The boy rolled his eyes, "Che. Whatever."

"Good. Now let's hurry up so we can get good seats."

* * *

 

The brunette burst out in uncontrollable laughter, "You totally fail!"

"What?"

Tenten called him for some homework help and somehow the topic got switched to talking about Sakura. Again.

"Honestly, I'm tired of having to listen and deal with all this crap. All you do is stare at her and yet you do nothing about it." Sasuke rolled his eyes at this. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't like he wanted to sit on the sidelines and do nothing. He just had no idea on how to approach the girl.

He scoffed in reply, "It's none of your business."

"Of course it is! You're my best friend! Instead of doing nothing, why don't you actually try talking to the girl. You had so many opportunities but you waste them because you're too much of a pansy to do anything about it." Okay, Tenten had a point. But he would never admit that she was right. 

"I can't, okay? I want to but it's not that easy." He sighed.

"Let's make a deal then." He could practically sense the smirk on her face right now.

He raised an eyebrow. Tenten and deals never turned out good. Whenever Tenten resorted to making deals with him, it would always turn out in her favor. But, like the Uchiha he was, Sasuke would never back down. Hey, maybe this time he would actually be the one in favor in the end. 

"You have one more chance to talk to this girl. If you fail, you have to give up on Sakura and give Karin a chance. However, if you succeed, promise me you'll do your best to win Sakura over so you can stop being a wimp who sits on the sidelines." 

"Are you serious?"

"Does it seem like I'm kidding?"

"Why Karin?" He refused to act like a child but when it came to Karin, sometimes he could be whiny.

Tenten gave a slight chuckle at his obliviousness. "Isn't it obvious? She totally likes you."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "So what?"

"Instead of chasing after a girl that has no idea who you are, why don't you just look at what's right in front of you? Karin likes you and honestly, you guys are pretty compatible with each other." 

Well that got him stumped. He never really thought about it like that, but just because Karin liked him doesn't mean he liked her. Don't get him wrong, she was a nice girl... sort of. And she wasn't exactly terrible to look at. But she was far from his type actually. 

"Look, you'll never know unless you try. That's why you either try talking to Sakura or you try giving Karin a chance. That's the deal and I won't take no for an answer." 

"Whatever. If this shuts you up then fine."

"I'm holding you to it then." Sasuke sighed as he hung up the phone and tossed it onto his bed. He laid his head on his desk and looked out the window. It was a full moon.

* * *

 

Sasuke turned to stare as the trio of girls left, probably to go to karaoke since Ino was yelling about it. Damn, this was supposed to be his chance! But with her friend's there, he ended up chickening out. It was embarrassing enough to just walk up to her, but if her friends were watching as he tried to talk to her... He rather die than be faced with such embarrassment. _Tch. I'm such a fool_.

"You completely missed your chance, _again_ ," the brunette laughed, amused over her friend's current situation.

"Shut up _,_ Tenten," Sasuke scoffed as he folded his arms in front of his chest. He was trying really hard not to pout because Uchiha's never pout.

"She was right across the hall and you missed the opportunity to finally talk to her. You said you were going to but you blew it!" Tenten laughed a bit more before she calmed down. She sort of expected this. Sasuke would never change, and this clearly showed that even his feelings could not sway him.

She smirked, "You know what that means?" Sasuke's body froze. "You have to give up now."

"If you didn't give away the plan I would have done it. But you and your big mouth had to talk so loud." He glared at Tenten though it had no effect on her. After being friends with two ice cubes who glared at everyone and everything, she was practically immune to them. 

"Hey, I was whispering!" She put her hands up in defense. She couldn’t believe that he was accusing her of his failed initiative to talk to the girl.

Sasuke glared, "That was a whisper? That would have to be the loudest whisper I have ever heard then."

"Oh, shut up, Sasuke. A deal's a deal, so now you have to move on." Things got serious as Tenten glanced cautiously at the boy. Although Sakura was a nice girl, Sasuke was too much of a wimp to do anything about it. It would be better to just forget about the pink-haired girl and move on to someone who he actually had a chance with. 

"What?" Sasuke looked at his best friend incredulously. Was she still going on about going out with Karin? He had nothing against Karin, when they hung out together he had little problems with her, but the point was, he liked Sakura.

"Look, it doesn't look like she's interested. Why don't you just give Karin a chance? She's not bad. You didn't even complain that much when you guys hung out together."

First, Tenten told him to try and talk to Sakura and now she says to give up? Yes, they had an agreement and yes, he had several chances to talk with Sakura, but why was she pushing Karin on him? There was still plenty of time left to talk with the cute cherry blossom. It wasn't like she was going anywhere. Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance. She probably promised Karin that she would hook them up since Tenten was close friends with the redhead. Of course Tenten would be biased about it.

"You could be great with Karin if you just give her a chance. Honestly, it doesn't look like you'll get anywhere with Sakura. You guys don't even know each other, plus you won't even take the initiative. So instead of brooding about your unrequited love, give love a chance with someone else, _ne_?" 

"Che. Whatever." He started walking away no longer wanting to continue the conversation. Point blank, he found it useless.

Tenten soon caught up and prevented him from moving forward as she stepped in front of him. With a serious gaze, she looked directly into his eyes. "Just think about it."

* * *

 

"Sasuke- _kun_!" The redhead waved animatedly towards her crush. 

"Karin," Sasuke nodded in response. 

"So Sasuke- _kun_... I was thinking we should go out again. Maybe to that new café that just opened a few blocks away from _Konoha_ High. I heard the food was really good and it'll be a lot of fun hanging out again." 

As Karin continued to babble, out of the corner of his eye he saw pink. Slightly glancing in that direction, he saw that it was Sakura. She was walking in their direction with a couple of books in her arms. She didn't seem to be paying attention to anything besides the agenda book in her hands. She was probably going over what homework she had to do for tonight.

He decided at that very moment he would take Tenten up on her stupid deal. He needed some sort of confirmation, sign, or message that he should continue pining after her. He was getting anxious about the whole ordeal and just wanted some assurance that he actually had a chance with Sakura. A weird feeling started bubbling up in his chest. He decided that her next action would be what determined their fate.

He didn't know why these thoughts were coming to his head, but he was desperate. If she looked in his direction, he won't give up. All she had to do was look at him. If she looked him in the eye, all these thoughts of moving on would be forgotten. He just needed some sort of sign. Anything at all. The pink-headed girl was soon approaching the pair as she continued looking down at her agenda. 

_Please look up. Just look at me. LOOK AT ME!_

And with a blink of an eye, she swiftly walked passed him without even a glance up to see who it was. Once she passed, he looked back to see if maybe she noticed late and didn't want to be obvious about it. Maybe she was shy? But he was wrong. She continued walking and soon turned the corner out of sight. His presence did not affect her at all.

"So, what do you say? Do you want to go with me, Sasuke- _kun?_ " Sasuke looked back at the redhead, a hopeful gleam in her eyes. Karin was the only girl who really showed her interest in him. She actually noticed him and voiced her feelings. Maybe he should just give her a chance. Their supposed "first date" wasn't bad anyway. He sort of enjoyed it. She was a little annoying, but tolerable.

With a little bit of hesitation, he finally replied, "Aa." 

"Great! So I'll just send you a message later on this week and then next week we'll meet each other in front of the school gates and walk there together."

* * *

 

Just like Sasuke had agreed, he went with Karin to the new cafe that the redhead wanted to try out. Ever since the incident with Sakura, Sasuke had been sulking all weekend. He didn’t want to seem like a downer with Karin, but too be honest, he really wasn’t in the mood for this. Although the cherry blossom didn’t reject him⏤he was scared shitless at the thought⏤he felt like it was already rejection. She didn’t even know who he was. How awkward would it be to go up to someone and confess your feelings and the other person not having any idea who you are? He cringed at the thought.

"Sasuke- _kun_?"

"Hn," he answered back not really paying attention. He then kept replaying his conversation with Tenten. It was really annoying him. Why was he making everything so complicated?

Karin blushed as she began fidgeting in her seat. "I want to talk to you about something. I feel like this is the perfect time to bring it up."

Sasuke just nodded so it would seem like he actually cared about what she had to say.

Karin took a deep breath in and closed her eyes. She then started blabbering, "Hanging out with you for the past couple of weeks have been really fun. I hope you also enjoyed our time together as much as I have. I've thought about it a lot for the past couple of days, and I feel like it's time to take action. Truthfully, I like you, Sasuke- _kun_ , and I feel like me and you would be so good together," she opened her eyes, a determined look present on her face as she said, "So Sasuke- _kun_ , please be my boyfriend!" 

That no doubt caught his attention. _So it's the moment of truth_. It was either: yes, Karin, I will be your boyfriend, or no, Karin, I don't like you, I like Sakura and if anyone is going to be my girlfriend, it's her.

The boy looked down at Karin’s hopeful face and he knew that he couldn't say no. He already decided he would give up on the pink-haired beauty last week. This seemed like the safer route to take. Karin knew who he was. Karin wouldn’t break his heart. But Karin was not Sakura. 

Karin frowned at his lack of response, silently scolding herself for her brashness. To make the situation less awkward she began saying, "You don't have to answer me now, I know it's a lot to take in bu—

"Okay."

It was finally time to move on.

Her eyes widened. "W-What?"

"I'll be your boyfriend," he sighed. Maybe Tenten was right all along. Maybe settling for Karin was better in the end.

Relief spread across her face as she smiled brightly at him, "Really?"

He just nodded his head in response.

"You won't regret it, I promise," she smiled even wider. He just nodded his head again and turned to look out the window as Karin continued talking excitedly. Although he agreed that this was for the best, he couldn’t help but feel really disappointed. He wasn’t strong enough or brave enough to truly go after what he wanted, that was the sad thing about this whole situation. Rejection was scary. Rejection was something he never handled well. Rejection was what he felt right now.

"You want to stop by the park before we head home?"

She tried holding his hand after they had left the cafe but he wouldn't let her. Yes, he was giving Karin a chance but that didn't mean he had to be touchy and affectionate. He wasn’t necessarily comfortable with that, especially with her yet.

"Sorry," she apologized shyly as she put her hands back into her jacket pocket.

He sighed, "No, it's fine. We'll take things slow."

They finally arrived at the park when Karin saw some of her friends from school. She ran over to them and started bragging how she finally snagged Sasuke and how she was no longer boyfriend-less. He rolled his eyes. He wasn’t really the bragging type⏤although he could be cocky as hell at times⏤but he thought that actions and skill should speak for itself. After a bunch of squealing and giggling, Karin finally waved good-bye to her friends and ran back to Sasuke.

His back was turned so he wasn't expecting the incoming embrace that Karin would force upon him. She grabbed his arm, spun him around, and hugged him like he was about to leave for the army. Her face came close to his ear as she whispered, "I know you want to take things slow but I just want to show my friends I'm not lying. At least it's not a kiss, right?"

He sighed once more as he closed his eyes and returned the hug. All that ended once he heard a scream from the trio of friends behind them.

"Oh gross! Someone dropped eggs on the floor!"

He looked up and he swore he saw a flash of _pink_.

* * *

 

"Don't tell me you're still looking for her?" Tenten raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Ever since his supposed claim of Sakura seeing him with Karin, he had been paranoid.

"Hn."

Tenten rolled her eyes and stood up from her desk. She glared down at her friend, "You're going out with Karin now! You have to forget about that girl."

"I know that, okay?" Sasuke raised his voice. He didn't want to sound like he was getting defensive, but Tenten sure knew how to bring up topics he just didn't want to discuss. It was always the same thing with this girl. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? He already knew what he had to do and her reinforcement of it wasn't really helping.

Tenten raised her eyebrows in surprise. He never really rose his voice at her before. She sighed, "Sorry, it's just that Karin really likes you. I don't want you to hurt her."

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temple with his left hand. "Look, I'm going out with her because _you_ told me it was a good idea to. These things take time, Tenten, feelings aren't just going to magically appear and disappear just because I want them to. 

"Alright, I understand. I wanted this because it'll be good for the both of you. I want nothing more than to see both of my friends be happy. And Sasuke?" Sasuke looked up, glare still intact. But her sad smile made him soften. "You _really_ make Karin happy."

He just nodded in response. But what if he wasn't happy? Did she even care about that? He let out a breath of air.

* * *

 

He wasn't going to lie, he was afraid of seeing her. Word probably spread around and although he knew she probably couldn't care less, he still had hope. It was stupid of him, but feelings couldn't just vanish overnight. Sakura was still the girl he had feelings for.

In some way to cope with this anxiety of being seen, he avoided going to places she would normally be around, especially if Karin was with him.

It wasn't like he was ashamed of Karin. He was just ashamed of himself. He didn't want Sakura to see that he was with someone else. What if she did take interest him? Would she be hurt if she saw him with another girl? Would she give up knowing that he was already taken? Sasuke shook his head. That would never happen. So there were a few times they made eye contact, so what? That was it. He had no basis or assurance that something could have started between them. They've only ever looked at each other.

_But what if…_

No. He couldn't afford to think like that anymore. Karin was his girlfriend now and he promised himself that he would forget about Sakura so that he could focus on Karin. But an aching pain was still present in his chest. He just wanted to see Sakura's reaction, only once to see that his assumptions were right. That there was nothing between them. But he knew he couldn't. Seeing her would make it harder for him to get over her. 

If he really wanted things to work out with Karin, he needed to man up and forget about the girl who never really noticed him. This was the best decision, and who knows, he could end up really happy with Karin and even grow to love her.

Yet even though he already took the first step in moving on, why did he still want a beginning with Sakura?

* * *

 

Sasuke was hanging out at Kidomaru’s house for game night after school had ended. He didn’t feel like going straight home anyways, not after the tumultuous week he was having with Tenten and Karin and all those confusing thoughts of _her_.

“You won’t believe who I saw the other day!” Kidomaru smirked as he paused the game to stuff some chips in his mouth. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his friend’s lack of manners. He unpaused and the game continued.

“Who?” Sasuke answered in a bored tone. They were playing _Super Smash_ on the _Wii U_.

“I don’t know if your mind’s jogged with Karin now, but remember that pink haired girl you couldn’t stop staring at when we went to the movies a while back?”

Sasuke slightly faltered as his character got hit and sent off the screen. _Damn._ He was down to one stock now. “Yeah, what about her?”

“She goes to our school! When I saw her in the art room I knew I remembered her from somewhere and thinking about it now, it was clearly the girl you were practically obsessed with.”

“I was not obsessed with her!”

Kidomaru chuckled in return. “Haha you know I’m just joking, right? Anyway, too bad for you. Since you’re with Karin you won’t be able to talk to her. I didn’t get a good look at her before at the movies, but I can see why you couldn’t look away now that I’ve seen her face. She’s pretty cute despite the weird hair color.” 

Sasuke didn’t reply as he tried to focus more on the game. He tried to maneuver his character out of the way but he kept on racking up damage. He really should use shield more often.

“You know, maybe I should try to talk to her. You think she would go for me?” Sasuke faltered again as he left his character open from the back. Kidomaru smirked as he sent Sasuke’s character off the screen once again. “Well, look at that! I won, again. 

Sasuke threw the controller on the couch and gathered his things. He had enough of this. He could barely stop thinking about Sakura and his friends kept bringing her up when all he wanted to do was forget. He didn’t want to hear about any other guy trying to get with her. He didn’t want to feel jealous especially since he was already in a relationship. He didn’t want to feel conflicted anymore.

“Hey, what’s your problem?” Kidomaru got up from his seat as he watched his friend go to the front door.

“I’m going home.”

“Sasuke!” his friend called out but he ignored him. All that was on his mind was getting home. After getting on his bike and riding to his house, he opened the door and was soon greeted by his older brother.

“ _Okaeri_ , _Otouto_. Dinner is ready,” Itachi, welcomed him back. He was wearing an apron and had a spatula in his hand as he smiled down at his younger brother.  

“I’m not hungry,” Sasuke mumbled as he took off his shoes and dragged himself up the stairs to his bedroom.

Itachi blinked in surprise as he stared at the staircase which his brother ascended. He sighed. He may not be home that often because of his work at the police force but when he was, he tried his best to make it feel welcoming. 

It had been a while since Sasuke came back home in such a bad mood. He knew he better check up on him. After putting a plate together of food, the older brother went to Sasuke’s room and knocked on the door.

“I said I’m not hungry.” Itachi could hear through the door. 

“I know, but I brought you food anyway. You can always eat it later. You really shouldn’t skip any meals.” 

Sasuke didn’t reply. Itachi sighed as he continued to stand in front of his brother’s closed door.

“Are you going to tell me what this is really about?” 

Still no reply.

“Is this about mom or dad?”

The door finally opened. Sasuke stood there with an indifferent expression but Itachi could read his younger brother better than that. Something was clearly bothering him.

“No, now can you drop it? I really don’t want to talk about it,” the younger boy dismissed.

“No, I’m not going to let this go. You can’t keep bottling things up inside. Look, I don’t care how embarrassing or stupid it may be. You know you can tell me anything and I won’t judge you for it. I’m here for you and I always will be even with mom and dad gone.”

Sasuke sighed, “It’s not about them.” He opened the door wider to let his brother in. He then went to his bed and fell on top of the sheets.

“Then what is it?” Itachi placed the plate of food on Sasuke’s desk and sat down on the chair in front of it. 

“How do you decide between the safe route or the risky route?”

“How risky are we talking? Like spending money on blind boxes?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Not really.”

“It really depends if you think it’s worth it.”

“But what if you’re scared by the uncertainty of the result. What if it all turns to shit.” 

“That’s just one of the risks you’re gonna have to take with the risky route. It all may go to shit, but at least you tried. I guess it really depends on how much this will cost you. What will you lose by taking the risky route? I mean, taking the safe route isn’t bad either.” He watched his brother contemplate his words and continued, “I think you just have to weigh out the pros and cons. Honestly, if you’re not comfortable taking the risky route, there’s nothing wrong with playing it safe. If there’s any future opportunities to take the risky route, you can take it then. Just go at your own pace and don’t overexert yourself. Do what you feel is right.”

Sasuke just nodded his head in return. 

Itachi sighed as he went to leave the room. As he stood in the doorway, he turned around and said, “Well, let me know if you need anything else. This decision is clearly weighing on you so I’ll leave you to your thoughts. Just know that whatever you do decide, I’ll always be here for you to fall back on.”

“Thanks, _aniki_.”

* * *

 

For the first time in weeks, he finally saw Sakura at the cafeteria. He decided to go buy some snacks that day for him and Karin. Although he was still feeling unsure about their relationship, he still wanted to try to put in effort, especially with all the things he put her through. He wasn't the best boyfriend, didn't show much affection, but that was only because their relationship just started. He never had a girlfriend before so he was new to the whole dating thing. But although that was only one factor in why he was hesitant, it was more so that he still had feelings for Sakura. So seeing her after a while was really strange. 

He could not deny, however, the way his heartbeat raced as she passed him. She was as pretty as ever. He was mesmerized by the look of her soft, pink locks swaying as she walked past. How cute she looked in deep concentration as she was choosing which drink to get. How delicate and small her body appeared in their school uniform. All that was left was to see was the vibrancy of her jade eyes. But she never looked back at him.

He finally decided then that maybe this girl was not worth the risk. She would _never_ notice him. He didn't care anymore if she looked at him, because it wasn't like she was seeing him. All he ever wanted was to be acknowledged, but she would just see another _Konoha_ High student. She would never see him as Sasuke. 

He was no one to her.

From then onward, he tried his best to repress and destroy the feelings he once had. It wasn't important anymore.

* * *

 

After a while, he actually was able to forget about her for a bit. Now that he spent most of his time with Karin, it seemed she kept him busy. There was no time to think about Sakura when you already had a girlfriend who was the ideal girl to have. Karin was always happy to see him, always did little things for him, and never put her expectations on him. She accepted him for being, well, Sasuke.

Even though he wasn't completely happy, he was content with her. He found out that Karin really wasn't all that bad and that he actually liked spending time with her. It was already two months into their relationship and all was fine. Feelings started growing and although it wasn't exactly feelings of love, it was good enough for her. It really seemed like everything was turning out great. If only it lasted longer.

"Neji, I'll meet up with you later. I need to talk to Sasuke about something." With a nod from the long haired boy, he left.

"Sasuke—

"Why did she have to look at me that way?" He was downright frustrated. The image of her sad face started clouding up his mind, almost hauntingly. This was not the image he wanted to recall of her.

"What?"

"I swore she looked at me as if she was heartbroken." His eyebrows were scrunched together. He was trying so hard to decipher the feelings behind that look. Could he be wrong? Was something actually there? He never felt so conflicted.

"..." 

"Once I actually forget about her, she has to be stupid and stare into my eyes and actually show some sign of reciprocation."

"Sasuke..."

"I'm so tired of this. I have to know what this is, what it all means. I don't want to let her go if—

"You have to." Tenten gave him a stern look. There was no way he was going to throw away what he began with Karin. He was actually becoming happy with the redhead. If he gave that up, he would be foolish. He would just end up getting more hurt if he tried chasing after Sakura.

"If this is about Karin... Tenten, I can't do this anymo—

"I'm sorry." 

He looked at her, a puzzled expression evident on his pale face. She actually looked really sincere when apologizing, but why was she saying sorry?

"She's moving." His best friend had a regretful look on her face.

"What?"

"Not only was today the last day of the semester, but also her last day of living in _Konoha_."

He stood there shocked, still processing what she was telling him. So this was it. He had no way to really find out for sure. 

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Tenten apologized again.

His face was hidden behind his bangs as he clenched his hands into fists. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

Tenten turned away and sighed. She wasn't actually going to tell him this until maybe next semester. But he seemed so desperate.

"I only found out recently. Besides, you're with Karin now, and you guys are doing so well. You even forgot about Sakura, too. I just figured you wouldn't even care if she moved away."

He didn’t reply as he continued to stare at the ground, spacing out.

"Sasuke?" Tenten turned back around, afraid she said the wrong thing. His dark bangs were covering his face so she couldn't tell if he was angry or not.

"I promised Karin I would meet up with her, so I'll talk to you later." 

Tenten hesitated before asking, "Are you going to be alright?"

"I don't know." He walked away, hands in his pockets as he continued to lock his eyes down on the ground.

He didn't want it to end like this, not knowing for sure what that stare could mean. Even despite being with Karin, he knew that at the back of his mind, his hope never wavered. He always assumed that one day things would fall into place: he wouldn’t work out with Karin, he would change and finally gather courage, he would talk to Sakura, he would get to know her, he would make her fall for him, and he would finally admit how he truly feels. He thought that one day he would finally be able to work his way towards the risky route, but it was all wishful thinking.

He kicked a dirt rock and watched as it crumbled into pieces as it skipped across the ground.

* * *

  _It's over. I never had a chance with her and I never will have one._


	3. High School is Meant for Growing Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the boy who wouldn't take a chance.

"Ino, I don't know if I could do this," Sakura trailed off as she paced back and forth. Her eyebrows scrunched together at the thought of Ino's suggestion. Was the girl crazy?

Ino waved her hand back and forth to dismiss Sakura's doubts. "Trust me, you'll be fine. Just do it!" 

"Well, that's easy for you to say, actually doing it is much harder," the pinkette strained. She bit her lip just thinking about what would happen if she did it. What would _he_ think of her afterward? She shook her head at the thought. It _scared_ her. For heaven's sake, she was in _Suna_ far away from him, yet she was still thinking about him? There wasn't a day that had gone by where she wasn't wondering how he was doing. Was he still happy? How was he doing with Karin? All these thoughts continued to jumble in her mind. She didn't want to keep revisiting these emotions, but it wasn't like she was entirely over _him_ yet.

There was a pause of silence before Ino spoke. She stared intently at her best friend and said in a whispered tone, "Well, you don't want to regret anymore of it do you?"

Ino knew the turmoil that was bubbling inside Sakura. If anything, this would help her get over him. All Ino wanted was for Sakura to be happy and what was best for her was to finally take the step to move on.

Sakura paused in step at her best friend's question. A sad smile started forming on her face. _No, I don't._ Her feelings were real and even though there wasn't much explanation of how it began, they were important to her. The past year in _Konoha_ was memories she cherished.

Ino gave Sakura a sad smile before saying, "Isn't it better to at least tell him instead of regretting it the rest of your life?"

Sakura looked out the window as the sun was setting. She didn't even realize how fast the day had passed. Sakura sighed as she looked back to her blonde friend, "I guess you're right."

Ino smirked, "I know I am. Just write the letter okay? And when I come to visit you again, give it to me and I'll put it in his shoe locker before school ends, alright?"

Sakura could only stare at her hesitantly. She knew Ino was right, but she was so scared. It seemed like such a simple thing to do and it wasn't like she was going to face him in person. But just the thought of him finally knowing her feelings... Her breathing became labored at the thought. She never confessed to anyone before so this was nerve-wracking even if it wasn't a face-to-face confrontation.

The blue-eyed girl turned her best friend around so that they could face each other. With both hands on her shoulders, Ino stared straight into Sakura's eyes. "Okay, Sakura?" 

She nodded blankly, "Yeah, alright." 

"Good! I'll see you next week then." The two best friends hugged each other before Ino's departure. After saying their goodbyes, the blonde smiled at her friend in an encouraging way. They both exited Sakura's new house and walked up to the gate. Ino waved as she walked down the sidewalk to the bus stop.

Once Sakura could no longer see her blonde friend, she walked back into her house. Sighing, she checked her phone to see what time it was. To her surprise, she got an email message from Ino that read: _You'll be fine._

But would she? She couldn't help but think the exact opposite. She was clearly a mess when she found out Sasuke got a girlfriend. It had been a few months and yet it was still hard for her to move on. Maybe this would be the first step of finally letting go? Honestly, this heartbreaking feeling swelling in her chest wasn't pleasant. The fact that it was still there was even worse. If she could somehow lessen the pain, then maybe this was a good idea after all. 

Sakura placed her pink cell phone on her bedside table. After, she fell face first onto her bed as she screamed into her pillow. 

It was time.

* * *

 

Writing the letter would be her best option. In order for her to move on, she needed to let him know how she felt or else she would regret it. She didn't want to regret anything. Especially not these feelings.

"Alright, I can do this."

How hard was it to write a love letter? Well, not exactly a love letter, but more of a confession letter? She shook her head. She was complicating everything and trying to psyche herself out from doing this. She took a deep breath in and exhaled. _Ino said I could do it, so I can!_  

Sakura took out some simple stationary and a nice pen to write with. After placing a piece of stationary in front of her, she took the cap off the pen and held the pen in her hand. Everything went blank. What in the world was she supposed to write? _Hey Sasuke-kun! I kind of love you. Bye._  

_The hell…_

"Maybe I should write a rough draft first before I write it on the stationary," she mumbled to herself. She didn't want to waste the nice paper she bought just for this. Besides, she really had to think things through. The pinkette didn't want to sound like a total creep. She wanted the letter to be straight to the point and simple. Out of all the things Sakura did not want to appear like, it was sounding like a heartbroken, love-sick fool. This letter was suppose to help her move on, so she would write it in a way where these feelings were nothing more than a memory of the past.

She spent all night writing and perfecting her rough draft. After finally coming up with the final draft, she carefully and slowly wrote it down onto the stationary. When she was finally done, she read the note over, placed it in the envelope, sealed the envelope, and left it on her desk.

All she wanted to do was sleep. She'll worry about everything once it finally reached him. But for now, her feelings were finally sealed.

* * *

 

_Dear Sasuke-kun,_

_Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. If you can, please read this alone. Before I begin, I just ask that you try not to contact me back. Just read this and then forget._

_Though it is very cowardly of me to do this through a letter, I could not do it before during the school year. I hope you don't think weird of me after I say this, but honestly, I use to like you. I know that we've never talked to each other so it's rather strange that I could like someone whom I don't even know well. I hope you don't think badly of me for that._

_But anyway, I just want you to know that you don't have to worry about anything. I already knew that I had no chance and since then, I've given up. Even though my feelings have ended, I just thought it was important for you to know how I felt._

_I apologize if this burdens you in anyway, but please don't think much about it. I do not feel the same anymore so you won't have to worry about me bothering you because this will be the first and last time that I will contact you._

_I hope you can forget about this soon because this isn't meant to be a big deal. It is something of the past._

_Thank you for taking the time to read this and please take care._

_~Haruno Sakura_

* * *

 

_I use to like you._

_I use to like you._

**_I USE TO LIKE YOU._ **

He kept on re-reading the contents of the letter. At first he wasn't even going to read the letter and throw it away. Now that he had a girlfriend, the idea of reading love letters was pretty pointless because it didn't matter. It wasn't like he was going to break up with Karin for some unknown girl he didn't even know. That would be stupid.

But in all actuality, he was the stupid one. This was the first "love letter" he ever got, so he was pretty curious to what was written inside. He just _had_ to read the letter, and look where that led him.

His head began to spin. So many thoughts were going on in his head right now.

The letter fell to the floor. He leaned his head back against the shoe lockers as he closed his eyes. A grimace spread on his lips thinking about the words _she_ had written him. A knowing smirk then appeared on his face as he clenched his hands into fists. Turning around, he slammed the sides of his fisted hands against the lockers. The sound echoed through the empty locker room as he crumbled onto the ground. 

After falling onto his knees, he stared at the fallen letter on the floor. 

_Why didn't I notice?_

The worst part wasn't even finding out the truth. No. There was nothing worse than the feeling of _regret_. And he couldn't help but to feel like his whole being was being immersed in such a feeling.

Now, only one thought was playing through his mind: _Why didn't I talk to her?_

He could feel the pieces of his heart breaking right there. _I'm sorry, Sakura._

* * *

 

"Sasuke _-kun_ , what's wrong?" The dark-headed boy looked up at the sound of his girlfriend's voice.

"Nothing, Karin." _Everything, Karin_. 

Karin sighed as she sat next to her boyfriend. She grabbed his hand and held it with both of her hands. She softly brushed her thumb against the top of his hand and laid her head on his shoulder.

"You've been acting strange lately... is everything alright?"

Sasuke sighed in frustration as he got up from his seat. He walked over towards the window to look at the sky. The sun was setting. "Yeah, don't worry about it."

Karin stared at his back, worried that she might have said the wrong thing. Even though they've been going out for a few months, Sasuke didn't really open up to her on personal matters. She understood why because that was just how he was. However, she was hoping that slowly he would become comfortable with her and open up. But it seemed like that wouldn't happen anytime soon. She knew she shouldn't push it so, like always, she gave up. 

"...All right," she said hesitantly as she looked away.

"I just need some time to think." Sasuke felt bad for making her worry because he knew she truly cared for him. But he couldn't tell her about the note. She wouldn't understand. She would just get angry and overreact and start unnecessary drama. All he needed was some time alone to think. 

The redhead nodded her head in response and got up. She walked over to Sasuke and hugged him from behind. "Okay, I'll see you later then. You'll call me later, _ne_?" 

"Aa." 

With that she left him alone to his thoughts.

* * *

 

Sasuke was bored out of his mind. He was laying on his bed in the dark trying to fall asleep because honestly, he had nothing else better to do, even if it was only 9:00 at night. The dark-headed boy sighed in frustration as he turned his body to the side. He couldn't stop thinking about _her_ now. 

He tried to turn this around. Tried to feel hate against her for bringing up these stupid thoughts and feelings. But after thinking so badly of her, he quickly remembered the last look she gave him on the last day of the spring semester. Sasuke yelled before punching his pillow in frustration. He felt so stupid after thinking back on everything that happened. All the missed chances, his cowardice, his inability to see her true feelings until it was too late. He sighed. Their timing was such a mess, but maybe that was because they weren’t supposed to end up together... 

His heart ached at the thought.

He decided he needed to talk to someone about this. Even though he wasn't the type to talk about his feelings, this was the exception. After picking up his phone, he scrolled through his contacts until he reached the person in mind. With that, he pressed on their name and held the phone to his ear.

Several rings later and they picked up.

"Hello?" 

"Tenten."

"Oh, hey Sasuke! What's up?" 

 _Oh nothing. Just that Sakura liked me, we could have been together,_ _and I wouldn't have had to give up on her, that's all._ "Nothing."

"So, why are you calling?"

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment. He was trying to calm himself down before he told her everything. "I needed to talk to someone."

There was a slight pause before she asked, "Is something wrong?"

The dark-headed boy swallowed thickly, a lump caught in his throat. "She _did_ like me."

"…What?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He hated having to repeat himself. "Sakura. She _liked_ me."

Tenten let out a nervous laugh as she replied, "Sasuke, I thought you were over that girl already? How would you even know this anyway?"

"She wrote me a letter. I found it in my shoe locker after school. Her friend, Ino or Hinata, must have put it there for her." 

It was silent again, but this time the pause lasted slightly longer.

"…So, what are you going to do?" 

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

Sasuke scoffed, "She said not to contact her. Just to 'read it and then forget.'"

"Oh."

Silence, again. It seemed like she didn't know how to respond to what he was telling her. He couldn't blame her though, he probably wouldn't know what to say if he was in her position.

"Sasuke?" his best friend asked.

The boy didn't respond as he was contemplating every word from the letter. He read it over so many times that he could remember the words by heart.

"Are you okay? Look, I'm sorry if you're ups—

He sighed, "It's fine. I just needed to tell someone."

“Are you mad?" 

"At you? No. At myself…" He trailed off. Thinking about it all made his heart hurt.

"Look, there's nothing you could do now. If it was meant to happen, don't you think something would have happened already?" 

Somehow, his voice got a little louder. "I know. I'm just angry with myself for not noticing. I mean, what if I did notice? What if something did happen?"

Tenten sighed, "But that's the thing, nothing did. You can think of all the 'what ifs,' but nothing will happen from it. Listen, I'm sorry you didn't notice and again, I'm sorry for making you give up on her to go out with Karin. But that's all in the past now. Even though you say you have, you really need to move on, Sasuke."

Silence. It seemed like there was so many of those during the past 15 minutes. 

"I really am sorry though, that it didn't work out. I feel like I'm at fault for it." With that tone Sasuke knew he couldn't blame her for everything. It really was his entire fault.

"No, it's fine. I could have ignored you and did whatever I wanted, but I didn't. I guess this was how it's meant to be."

There was no use bringing up what had already been done. He would just have to live with the choices he had made because there was no way to change any of it. Besides, it wouldn't be fair for the both of them. She was probably happy in _Suna_ with some guy that actually deserved her. And him? He had a girlfriend that loved him so much. What more could he want?

* * *

 

Although at first it was hard adjusting to her new school, she was able to fit right in. She made many new friends and joined the art club. Even though Sakura never considered herself artistic, she loved painting and sketching. It was a creative outlet that she loved and greatly appreciated.

One afternoon, she stayed a little late to try and finish one of the art pieces she started. It was her attempt to paint the sunset, but it didn't seem to be working out. Although she hated watercolor, she was trying her best on improving her technique and skills with it. But it seemed like paint was her enemy, it just wasn't working with her. After all, her forte was sketching and charcoal, plain black and white. But color? That was a whole new world for her. Sakura sighed in frustration. It seemed though that the colors weren't blending in as well as she had hoped.

"I just can't get it right," she frowned dejectedly.

"Try using more water. You'll make fewer mistakes and will be able to fix it since the paint is watery and not thick. You can easily go over it."

The sound of another's voice surprised her. She turned around to face a very pale-looking boy. A small gasp escaped her lips as she saw him clearly. He looked a little like the boy she was trying to forget. "Oh, um, thank you...?"

"Sai," The dark-haired boy smiled at the pinkette. He pulled up a chair next to her and laid his sketchbook on his lap.

She slightly bowed in response, "Thank you... Sai."

"Do you mind if I draw you? You don't have to stay still. I'm just practicing drawing figures."

"Oh, um, of course." 

The two stayed silent as they continued on with their respective art pieces. It was nice being in someone's company and just painting. Sakura smiled to herself as she took Sai's advice into consideration. The sunset was starting to look more like it should be.

From then on, they would frequently meet with each other after school to work on their artwork. Before she knew it, she had taken an interest in him.

* * *

 

It was a Saturday afternoon and Ino was visiting. The weather turned from hot to cool to chilly. It seemed like the seasons were passing by quickly and soon the year was going to be over. The snow was falling slowly as the temperature continued to drop. The skies were gray and everything was covered in white.

Ino jumped onto her bed and yawned. She stretched out her arms then looked at the pinkette sitting at the desk. "So, tell me about this guy you've been raving about over the phone." 

A clear blush dusted Sakura's cheeks. "I don't know where to start."

Ino rolled her eyes in reply. She sighed, "Well, how about you tell me if you feel anything for the guy? Can you see yourself going anywhere with him?"

Sakura contemplated before replying. It wasn't that she was hesitant. She was just confused on how she felt right now. After the whole Sasuke ordeal, she was having a hard time opening her feelings to someone new. However, it seemed Sai was breaking all of that. She just wasn't sure if he was what she needed.

“I think so. I mean, many misunderstand him and although he comes out as blunt, he really does care. He's trying his best, I could tell."

Ino nodded her head in approval, "Well, that's a start. Now all you need to do is focus on this guy so you don't have to worry about Sasuke- _kun_ anymore."

Sakura laughed awkwardly in reply.

Although almost half a year passed since then, hearing his name still hurt. Maybe because their ending was really painful. Those were memories Sakura didn't want to think about. Even if she moved on, she could instantly remember how she felt during the time she was still in _Konoha_. The pinkette stared out the window, a bitter smile on her face as she started remembering all that had happened. It seemed like a memory that was so far away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring him up." The blonde looked up towards the ceiling.

"No, it's fine. I'm over that anyway."

An awkward silence fell upon the pair. Sakura wasn't sure if she should just break the ice and change the topic. Although this was her best friend, Sasuke was still a touchy subject for her. Before she could say anything, Ino decided to talk. "Sakura, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

Ino took a deep breath in before saying, "About Sasuke _-kun_...he did like you."

Another silence fell upon the two, however that was short-lived. 

"You're kidding, right?" Sakura chuckled nervously. Like that would ever happen. Did Ino forget that he was going out with Karin? Why in the world would Sasuke like her if he had Karin? That wouldn't make any sense at all. If she was in his position, Sakura would never go out with someone she didn't truly like. That would be stupid.

"No, I swear! I'm being serious right now."

Sakura rolled her eyes, unbelieving of her words. "Then why would he even go out with Karin?"

The blonde girl sat up and walked over to the window. "You can blame Tenten for that one."

Sakura scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. "I don't understand. What does she have to do with this?" 

"She gave him an ultimatum. Either he talks to you and he can continue pursuing you, or he doesn't talk to you and he has to go out with Karin." Ino glanced backward to see her best friend’s reaction. 

Sakura finally understood everything. "And he didn't talk to me..." 

Ino spoke softly, "Pretty much." 

“But why do you know this?” 

The blonde sighed again. “After Sasuke- _kun_ read the letter, Tenten confronted me about it. She told me the truth about the whole situation, which was nice to know but she also told me to keep you in check. Although you guys are on good terms, Karin is her best friend so she wanted reassurance that you weren’t going to continue to pursue him.”

“Oh. You know I would never.”

Ino chuckled, “I know and she knows that, too. You are one of the kindest people I know. She was actually pretty apologetic over the whole situation, too. She said that if you were angry that she would take blame.”

"I should have just talked to him myself. But you want to know what makes this so funny? When I was going to talk to him, he already gave up on me. Our timing was just...out of sync," she laughed bitterly.

"Sakura..." Ino turned around to face the heartbroken girl.

"It's fine though. I'm fine." She tried reassuring Ino, but it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself that she was okay.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, I want to see where things head with Sai. Maybe there's something there."

Ino smiled at her best friend. "And I hope everything goes well with that. You know, I just want you to be happy."

"And I am, Ino. You're here right now, and things are progressing with Sai, and I've finally adjusted to _Suna_."

The two smiled at each other and hugged. Although finding the truth was upsetting, Sakura felt relieved. Maybe this was the second step she needed to finally forget. Maybe now when she thinks of him, it wouldn't be as painful as before.

* * *

 

It seemed like fate that they would meet like this. But somehow it wasn't awkward or sad at all. Although it wasn't a happy ending, time seemed to prove again and again that they were never meant to be. Their timing would never be in sync.

Sakura smiled as she looked around. It had been a year since she had been in _Konoha_. Nothing changed, it was just like she had remembered. "It feels so weird being back here."

"Ah, but I'm so happy you're here! Although I love Hinata, I miss my shopping buddy." Ino then side-hugged the pinkette. “And I think it's so cute that you brought the 'BF' with you." 

Sakura rolled her eyes in response but laughed, "Oh stop it, Ino. You're just saying that because you're happy that we can now go on a double date." 

"Was I being that obvious? Aha, you caught me!" 

The two girls laughed as they continued walking around the mall. Sakura looked behind to see that Kiba and Sai were getting along fine. It seemed like carrying the girl's shopping bags was helping them to get to know each other better. She giggled as she saw Kiba adjust the bags in his hand. Ino was a relentless shopper so he ended up carrying twice as many bags compared to Sai.

"Ah, let's go into that store. The jewelry there is so cute and who knows? Maybe we'll find some cute couple rings."

They both giggled at the thought. When she was about to enter the store something familiar caught her eye. Her heart stopped as she did a double take. _Could it be?_ Sakura bit her lip. She knew that if she left, it might be trouble but she couldn’t hold herself back any longer. She needed to do this.

Sakura giggled nervously as she suggested, "Um, you guys go ahead. I just want to see something real quick. I'll meet you inside."

"Wait Sak—

"Don't worry, I'll be right back! I just have to check something real quick," Sakura reassured her best friend as she gave her a pleading look.

Sai stared at his girlfriend’s back, confusion written all over his face. Ino sighed as she ushered her boyfriend and Sai into the jewelry store. Ino bit her lip. Should she go after her? She looked in the direction that her best friend ran towards and then shook her head as she followed the boys into the store.

* * *

Tenten patted her stomach as she could feel it grumbling under her hands. "Ah, I'm so hungry!"

Her boyfriend, Neji, rolled his eyes as he smirked at the girl, "Well that's because someone woke up late and didn't eat breakfast."

"Oh, shut it, Neji."

Sasuke sighed. He didn't even want to go to the mall today. He glanced to the side to see Karin blabbering on about something she wanted to buy. At least she looked happy about being here. He then went on to look at the pair in front to see that they were still bickering. He sighed again. This was going to be a long day.

Karin cut her thought mid-sentence to question the brunette girl in front of them, "Hey, why'd you stop all of a sudden?"

He looked to Tenten to see why she stopped so suddenly. Tenten's eyes widened as she turned around and laughed nervously.

Tenten grabbed Karin's wrist as she nudged Neji to the side with her other elbow. She laughed awkwardly, "Karin, come on line with me to get food? Neji, you go find us a table." 

The redhead looked around confused as she questioned, "But what about Sasuke?" 

"Oh, he can go with Neji, or wherever he wants," she mumbled out the last part. Neji just shook his head, aware of the cause behind Tenten's suspicious antics, and left to find a table.

As Tenten pulled the confused redhead on line, the brunette looked back at Sasuke and gestured her head to the side. _I'm sorry, Sasuke, but this is all I could do for you._

With a curious expression on his face, he looked in the direction Tenten pointed to.

* * *

 

_And then they saw each other._

* * *

 

At first they were silent, just staring at one another. Sakura didn't know if she should just walk up to him or not. But her legs started to jiggle in nervousness as her feet refused to take the first step. She was scared.

"Ah—

The pink-haired girl was suddenly pushed forward as a kid bumped into her.

"Konohamaru! What did I tell you about running in the mall? Apologize to the young lady."

The child shyly looked down as he apologized, "I'm sorry." 

Sakura smiled, "It's alright."

The petite girl then turned around to see that from being pushed, she was much closer to Sasuke than before. Her face turned red as she realized that he saw the whole thing. She looked up to him to see an amused smirk on his face. She smiled as she started to giggle. 

It was silent again as they both began to take in each other's appearance. It didn't seem as if either had changed too much over the past year. They were just like they had remembered. However, both could not deny the fact that the atmosphere was quite awkward. They've never officially talked in person, so what would they say?

Sakura took in a deep breath as she quietly spoke, "Hi."

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. He nodded in acknowledgment and replied, "Hey."

They both blushed and looked away after they made eye contact with one another. Sakura bit her lip, not knowing what to say next. As the pink-haired girl was trying to figure out what to say, the boy was too busy worrying about the lack of time they would have. Whatever he needed to say, he had to say it _now_. When it came to Karin, he knew she would come looking for him soon. So it was now or never. 

"Sasuke _-kun_ ,” she started as she gave him a sad smile.

 His eyes widened as he stared at her. Looking into her eyes, he then understood. This time, it was a look of acceptance. "Sak— 

"Sakura!" Sakura froze. She felt a grab on her wrist as she turned around to look at her boyfriend. She smiled softly as she patted the side of Sai's cheek with her hand. He looked at her curiously. 

"Sasuke _-kun_!" Sasuke winced. He looked back to find Karin hugging him from the back. He sighed in amusement as he turned fully around to look down at his girlfriend. The redhead smiled brightly up at him.

 _The timing would never be right._  

Sai sighed with a blush on his face, "Sakura, your friends are quite strange. It was awkward watching Ino and Kiba make out inside the store."

Karin pouted as she stared up at her boyfriend, "Sasuke _-kun_ , why are you just standing here? I thought you were going to find a table with Neji?"

_But somehow…_

Sakura smiled as she giggled, "That stupid Pig. Well, I'll go back with you now. I think they tortured you long enough."

Sasuke rolled his eyes playfully at Karin as he grunted out, "Hn."

The redhead shook her head and smiled as she proceeded to drag Sasuke back to the food court. On the other hand, Sai held Sakura's wrist and started pulling her in the direction of the jewelry store. 

 _They had to be okay with this._  

And as they turned around to look back at each other, they knew so much still needed to be said, but like so many times before, the opportunity had passed. They had to let go. 

Their time was up.

* * *

  _Thank you, Sasuke-kun._

_Thank you, Sakura._


	4. Alternate Ending: High School is Meant for Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, again, to everyone who has supported this story! Ultimately, I decided to write this alternate ending because the sequel is up in the air at this point. I still wanted to give my readers a happy ending, even if I can’t commit to the sequel. I’m not sure if the sequel will ever be completed, but I hope this ending will satisfy you guys in the meantime. Enjoy!

Out of all the things Sakura did not want to appear like, it was sounding like a heartbroken, love-sick fool. This confession letter was suppose to help her move on, so she contemplated on how she should word her feelings. She knew she would feel awkward writing it in present tense because then Sasuke would know that even after all this time, she still liked him. She was about to write the letter as if her feelings already ended but stopped herself. Even if it was embarrassing, he needed to know the truth. She likes him. She’s not over him yet. She won’t do anything, but her feelings were still true and still there.

She spent all night writing and perfecting her rough draft. After finally coming up with the final draft, she carefully and slowly wrote it down onto the stationary. When she was finally done, she read the note over, placed it in the envelope, sealed the envelope, and left it on her desk.

All she wanted to do was sleep. She'll worry about everything once it finally reached him.

* * *

 

_Dear Sasuke-kun,_

_Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. If you can, please read this alone. Before I begin, I just ask that you try not to contact me back. Just read this and then forget._

_Though it is very cowardly of me to do this through a letter, I could not do it before during the school year. I hope you don't think weird of me after I say this, but honestly, I like you. I know that we've never talked to each other so it's rather strange that I could like someone whom I don't even know well. I hope you don't think badly of me for that._

_But anyway, I just want you to know that you don't have to worry about anything. I know that I have no chance so I won’t interfere with your current relationship. I just thought it was important for you to know how I feel._

_I apologize if this burdens you in anyway, but please don't think much about it. This will be the first and last time that I will contact you._

_Thank you for taking the time to read this and please take care._

_~Haruno Sakura_

* * *

 

_I like you._

_I like you._

**_I LIKE YOU._ **

He kept on re-reading the contents of the letter in disbelief. At first he wasn't even going to read the letter and throw it away. Now that he had a girlfriend, the idea of reading love letters was pretty pointless because it didn't matter. It wasn't like he was going to break up with Karin for some unknown girl he didn't even know.

But in all actuality, this wasn’t just some unknown girl. This was Sakura, the girl he’d been crazy about since he saw her smile. He couldn’t help but think back on that memory.

_“Pass it here! I’m free!” one of his classmates shouted, calling for the ball. Sasuke quickly passed to his teammate and began running down the soccer field to the opponents goal. After his teammate scored and won the game, he was on the sidelines at the benches cooling off._

_As Sasuke was drinking from his water bottle, something caught his eye. It was late spring, close to summer and he was puzzled. Cherry blossom season already ended, so what was that strange pink color reflecting against the school windows? He couldn’t help but be curious so he went closer to the school for a better look._

_As the distance between himself and the building shortened, he saw that the pink was not a flower, but rather a person. Shining in the sun’s gaze was the pink hair of another female student. He couldn’t see her face as her back was facing him. He noticed that she was painting something on canvas. She was probably a part of the art club. He sighed, “Oh, it’s just some weird hair color.”_

_As he was about to turn around to go back to the benches, the girl suddenly turned around to talk to a student behind her. The pink-haired girl had beautiful, big green eyes that shone like jade. She was the human embodiment of the cherry blossom. Instead of being more freaked out, he couldn’t help but appreciate her unique traits, now. His late mother’s favorite flower was the cherry blossom._

_He suddenly thought of his mom as he continued staring at the girl. The girl then suddenly let out a laugh as she broke out into a wide grin. He froze at her bright smile, it was one that really reached her eyes. Taken aback by that sweet expression, he hurriedly turned around and went back to the benches without looking back._

_He could feel his ears heating up as he pictured her smiling face. He couldn’t help but think about his mother again as she too had a kind smile, but this girl was a bit different. While his mother had a smile that was so gentle and sweet, this girl had a smile that was genuine and passionate, he was really taken aback. The image of her smiling, laughing face stayed with him._

Sasuke sighed at the memory. Was it corny to say that he fell for her smile? He never saw her or spoke to her before that moment but after, all he wanted to do was know who she was. He thought he was probably interested in her because she represented the things that he missed about his mother. However, he soon realized that maybe there was a different reason. One night he was thinking about the mystery cherry blossom and soon came to wonder: what if he was the one to cause that smile? The thought surprised him as he figured out that maybe this interest was something greater. Then began the days where he actually noticed her at school and began to look forward to seeing her.

It may be strange how he fell for her, but then again, she fell for him without knowing who he was, too. He clenched his left hand into a fist as he stared down at the letter in his right hand. He needed to do something about this or else the memory of her kind smile will forever be replaced with that sad, defeated smile she gave him at the courtyard.

But what can I do? He needed to figure something out fast.

* * *

 

Itachi was home early and was in the process of cooking dinner. Tonight they were going to eat spaghetti napolitan, a Japanese twist on Italian spaghetti. Since Sasuke enjoyed tomatoes so much, he liked spaghetti since the sauce was tomato based. As Sasuke was waiting for dinner to be done, he was sitting in the living room watching TV. Their house was open concept so you could see the kitchen from the living room.

From the kitchen, he could hear his older brother ask, “Not to pry or anything, but what did you end up deciding on?”

Sasuke turned around on the couch with his eyebrows scrunched together. What was he talking about? Itachi looked up and then clarified his earlier question, “You know, did you play it safe? Or did you take the risk?”

The younger brother frowned and turned around to continue watching TV. He answered, “Oh, I went with the safe route.”

“Why don’t you sound happy about that?” his older brother commented over the bubbling of the boiling pasta.

Sasuke sighed, “I realized that it wasn’t really the path that I wanted to take, but now I’m not sure if I can take the risky route anymore. I might have missed my chance.”

“Then create a path that will give you another chance.” He said it as if it was the obvious answer, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Sasuke sighed again, if only things were that easy. This whole situation was so complicated when it didn’t have to be. If only he had noticed earlier how she felt, if only he worked up the courage to approach her, none of these misunderstandings would have happened.

“What?”

Itachi chuckled as he was draining the pasta water, “If it’s something you really want, then why not just go for it regardless? Remember? If it feels right, then make your own path.”

Sasuke turned around to face his brother again. “I wouldn’t know how to go about it.”

After Itachi finished transferring the sauce onto the spaghetti noodles and mixing it, he served the food on some plates. “Well, maybe start with tackling the small problems first. If you can resolve whatever small details that are preventing you from going down the path you want, figure out those first and you’ll be set.”

Well, that made a lot of sense. He honestly couldn’t face Sakura right now, especially when he was still with Karin. He knew what he had to do. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am. I’m your big brother.” Itachi placed the plates on the table and sat down. He raised an eyebrow at his brother as if telling him it’s time to join him for dinner.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and then went to sit at the dinner table, “Shut up.”

“Now eat your food before it gets cold.”

* * *

 

"Sasuke _-kun_ , what's wrong?" The dark-headed boy looked up at the sound of his girlfriend's voice, but he didn’t reply.

Karin sighed as she sat next to her boyfriend. She grabbed his hand and held it with both of her hands. She softly brushed her thumb against the top of his hand and laid her head on his shoulder. "You've been acting strange lately. Is everything alright?"

Sasuke sighed as he got up from his seat. He walked over towards the window to look at the sky. The sun was setting. It was time to set things right, not only did he owe it to Karin to be truthful, but he needed to be honest with himself. "I can’t do this, Karin."

Karin stared at his back in confusion and worry. Even though they've been going out for a few months, Sasuke didn't really “talk” to her. She understood why because that was just how he was. However, she was hoping that slowly he would become comfortable with her and open up. Maybe he was doing that now?

"Sasuke _-kun_?" she said hesitantly as she got up from her seat and walked towards him.

"I can’t do this with you anymore."

Okay, that was definitely not opening up, that sounded more as if he was breaking up with her. Alarms went off in her head as she stuttered, “W-What? Are you breaking up with me?”

He nodded.

She was in disbelief at what was happening right now. Although he was quieter than usual the past few weeks, he did not give any signs that he wanted to end things between them. How could he do this? They haven’t even been dating for a year and he already wanted to call it quits? She pleaded, “But why? Things were going so well. What did I do wrong? I can fix this, please.”

He sighed as he looked at her, “You knew from the start, when we entered this relationship, that my feelings weren’t quite on the same level as yours.”

“But we made it work!” Karin protested.

Sasuke shook his head. Even if things seemed fine before, it wasn’t like that anymore, not for him at least. “We did, but I can’t keep lying to myself or to you. Karin, you deserve someone who loves you wholeheartedly, but I’m not that someone. I honestly tried, but I just can’t see you in that way.”

“It’s that girl, isn’t it?” the redhead grunted irritably. Tenten told her about Sasuke’s previous infatuation, although she wouldn’t name the girl. All she knew was that Sasuke didn’t have the courage to go after her and would soon give up, that would then give her the chance to step in. So she did and thus their relationship. She continued, “Tenten told me you had your heart on someone else, but I didn’t think much of it since I never saw you hang out with anyone besides Tenten and Neji. I thought maybe things changed when you agreed to go out with me but I guess that was wishful thinking.”

“I’m sorry,” the boy apologized. He looked up at her furious face and noticed that tears were forming in her eyes. He didn’t mean to hurt her but he couldn’t keep doing this for much longer. He honestly really felt bad though. Karin really did not deserve this whole mess of a situation, if only she knew all the details.

“Don’t. Don’t you dare apologize for breaking up with me. I don’t want your pity. You’re going to regret this one day, Sasuke _-kun_ , but I won’t be there when everything falls apart with that girl. When she breaks your heart again, you’ll be all alone! You’ll see just how good you had it with me, but it’ll be too late, again,” she cried out. Before he could see the tears fall, she turned around and started to run. She would never show him how hurt she was, she had too much pride.

“Karin,” Sasuke called out, but she was already gone. He sighed as he proceeded to head back home. Although he expected her to argue more, it went better than he thought. Of course he still felt bad about breaking up with her, but he felt relieved at the same time. He didn’t realize how this relationship was really egging up on him, probably because he wasn’t being entirely sincere about it. Well, all he could do now was look forward. One step at a time.

* * *

 

Sasuke was bored out of his mind. He was laying on his bed in the dark trying to fall asleep because honestly, he had nothing else better to do, even if it was only 9:00 at night. After breaking up with Karin, he was expecting a phone call from Tenten, but he never got one.

 _Ring, ring, ring._ He spoke too soon.

He answered, "Hello?"

"SASUKE!" he heard on the other line. He rolled his eyes at his best friend’s loudness. Perfect timing, really.

He sighed, "If you’re gonna yell at me for breaking up with Karin, then do it now."

“How could you do this? Things were going so well for you and Karin and then she tells me you still have feelings for Sakura? I thought you were over her? She moved to Suna, Sasuke, or did you forget?”

He laughed. This was exactly what he expected from the bun-headed girl.

“Don’t you laugh at me, Uchiha Sasuke. I’m serious! What happened?” Tenten demanded.

“Sakura. She likes me,” he replied with a grin. Saying it out loud made him feel so warm inside. The girl he was pining for actually reciprocates his feelings.

“W-What?”

He then explained what happened earlier on in the week, "Sakura wrote me a confession letter. I found it in my shoe locker after school. Her friend, Ino or Hinata, must have put it there for her."

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not, Tenten. This is it. This is my chance to finally go after what I want. Look, I am truly sorry for stringing Karin along, but she should have expected this. She knew I went into this relationship without any feelings. You should have known, too. I’m tired of waiting on the sidelines. I’m not doing this anymore and I don’t care what you have to say about it. No more deals, no more ultimatums. I like Sakura, Tenten, and I don’t want her slipping by again.”

He wasn’t going to let Tenten control his life any further, even if she was only looking out for him. He had to stop being so passive and start making decisions for himself. They would be graduating next year and he really needed to get his shit together before university started. If he could at least figure out this problem, he could be more confident once college application season came around. It would be one less thing stressing him out.

“B-But I thought you were happy with Karin?”

“I was content, but that’s not good enough, at least, not anymore. I don’t want to continue living a lie. Karin deserves someone who likes her just as much as she likes them. If you were her friend, you wouldn’t want her to be in a relationship with someone like me. And if you were my best friend, then you would support me in going after what I want and being honest.”

“I…” Tenten was speechless. She knew Sasuke was right, but it was just so hard to be neutral, especially with his two friends. While she wanted to curse him out for Karin, she knew she couldn’t because Sasuke was finally fighting back. He spent his whole life trying to please his parents then his brother then his friend group. It was never ending. This was the first time Sasuke actually stood up for something that he wanted.

“I don’t care if you’re mad or upset with me, but I needed to do this. I owe it to Karin, to you, but most importantly, to myself to be truthful. Can you at least support that?”

Tenten admitted, “I-I am upset...but for selfish reasons. I never meant to hold you back, Sasuke. I honestly thought you would have your happy ending with Karin, but I was wrong. You were hurting and I was blinded by what I wanted that I completely ignored how you were feeling. I know that it ultimately was my fault you didn’t pursue Sakura. I’m sorry for not being the best friend I was suppose to be.”

“It’s fine. I know you had my best interest in mind.”

“Yeah, but look how that ended.” She sighed, “I guess I have to explain to Karin what happened. She deserves an apology, too. I’m just scared this will end our friendship.”

“She’ll come around, eventually.”

“So what are you going to do? Are you going to Suna or something?” Sasuke sat up from his lying position on his bed. That was a good question, what was he going to do next?

He thought a bit before he answered, “No, I don’t want to do anything too fast in consideration of Karin. She doesn’t deserve to be hurt more especially if I start pursuing Sakura right after our break up...then again, I don’t want to lose my opportunity because I don’t know what’s going on in Suna. It’s complicated right now.”

“I know you probably don’t want me to get further involved, but the least I can do is try to make some amends.”

“Tenten.” His voice was filled with warning. He honestly didn’t want Tenten messing around with this situation any further. The first time was a disaster, he didn’t need another one to happen.

“No, Sasuke, you’re right. I need to support you, you’re my best friend. I’ll tell Ino about your break up, but I won’t divulge anything else. It’ll be up to her if she decides to tell Sakura. Besides, it’s not like you have a plan, either.”

He sighed. That was probably for the best anyway. If Ino could somehow tell Sakura, then that might prevent Sakura from giving up⏤assuming she doesn’t have someone else already. That was the only hope he had. And if things turned out to be so, hopefully Ino would tell him or Tenten.

* * *

 Although at first it was hard adjusting to her new school, Sakura was able to fit right in. She made many new friends and joined the art club. Even though Sakura never considered herself artistic, she loved painting and sketching. It was a creative outlet that she loved and greatly appreciated.

One afternoon, she stayed a little late to try and finish one of the art pieces she started. It was her attempt to paint the sunset, but it didn't seem to be working out. Although she hated watercolor, she was trying her best on improving her technique, but it seemed like paint was her enemy. It just wasn't working with her, after all, her forte was sketching and charcoal. Sakura sighed in frustration. It seemed though that the colors weren't blending in as well as she had hoped.

"I just can't get it right," she frowned dejectedly.

"Try using more water. You'll make fewer mistakes and will be able to fix it since the paint is watery and not thick. You can easily go over it."

The sound of another's voice surprised her. She turned around to face a very pale-looking boy. A small gasp escaped her lips as she saw him clearly. He looked a little like the boy she was trying to forget. "Oh, um, thank you...?"

"Sai," The dark-haired boy smiled at the pinkette. He pulled up a chair next to her and laid his sketchbook on his lap.

She slightly bowed in response, "Thank you...Sai."

"Do you mind if I draw you? You don't have to stay still. I'm just practicing drawing figures."

"Oh, um, of course."

The two stayed silent as they continued on with their respective art pieces. It was nice being in someone's company and just painting. Sakura smiled to herself as she took Sai's advice into consideration. The sunset was starting to look more like it should be.

* * *

 

It was a Saturday afternoon and Ino was visiting. It seemed like the seasons were passing by quickly as soon the year would be over. The snow was falling slowly as the temperature continued to drop. The skies were gray and everything was covered in white.

Ino jumped onto her bed and yawned. She stretched out her arms then looked at the pinkette sitting at the desk. "So, tell me about this guy you've been raving about over the phone."

A clear blush dusted Sakura's cheeks. "It’s not like that, Ino."

Ino rolled her eyes in reply. She sighed, "Well, is there any potential? Is there a possibility?"

Sakura contemplated before replying. It wasn't that she was hesitant. She was just confused on how she felt right now. After the whole Sasuke ordeal, she was having a hard time opening her feelings to someone new.

“I mean, many misunderstand Sai and although he comes out as blunt, he really does care. He's trying his best, I could tell, it’s just that..."

”He’s not Sasuke _-kun_."

Sakura nodded.

Although almost half a year passed since then, hearing his name still hurt. Maybe because their ending was really painful. Those were memories Sakura didn't want to think about. The pinkette stared out the window, a bitter smile on her face as she started remembering all that had happened. It seemed like a memory that was so far away.

An awkward silence fell upon the pair. Sakura wasn't sure if she should just break the ice and change the topic. Before she could say anything, Ino decided to talk. "Sakura, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

Ino took a deep breath in before saying, "About Sasuke _-kun_...he broke up with Karin."

Sakura, unsure if she heard correctly, stared at her best friend in disbelief. She chuckled nervously, "You're kidding, right?"

Like that would ever happen. He seemed just fine with Karin the last time she saw them together at the shoe lockers near the entrance of the school. It had been almost a year, did things really change so fast?

"No, I swear! I'm being serious right now."

Sakura rolled her eyes then questioned further, "When? How?"

The blonde girl sat up and walked over to the window. "Tenten told me."

Sakura scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. "I don't understand. Why did she tell you that? Are you friends now or something?"

The blonde sighed again. “Tenten confronted me about the letter. She then told me about the break up and she wanted me to pass it on to you.”

“Oh.”

Even though she wasn’t exactly friends with Tenten, when she had class with her last year and they had a project together, Tenten was such a hard worker. She gave off a tough appearance, especially when she was standing next to Neji and Sasuke, but she was fiercely loyal to her friends. So her telling Ino...was a shock. What about Karin? Wasn’t Tenten friends with Karin, too?

Ino chuckled, “She said that she was going to turn a blind eye, you know, since she’s still friends with Karin, and that she’s not interfering anymore, whatever that means...”

Interfering? Sakura shook her head. She’ll think about that later, but right now nothing could be done, regardless. "I don’t think I can do anything. I mean, I’m all the way in Suna and he just got out of a relationship. I told him not to contact me back in the letter, I… I don’t think the timing is right."

"Sakura..." Ino turned around to face the conflicted girl.

"I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I don’t think I can face him right now. Sure he’s not in a relationship anymore, but that doesn’t mean anything. I don’t know what Tenten’s motives were for telling you, but I’m not trying to get hurt again. Maybe I’m being too cautious, but I don’t think I have the courage yet to try."

"Well, you don’t necessarily need to do anything. I don’t know how involved Tenten was with this whole thing. Seems to be more complicated than it looks, but just know whatever you decide to do, I’ll support you."

"Thanks, Ino."

Ino smiled at her best friend, "You know, I just want you to be happy."

"And I am, Ino, because you’re here. Even if things don’t work out again, I know I’ll always have you."

The two smiled at each other. Although finding the truth was shocking, Sakura felt relieved. Maybe she didn’t have the courage now, but hopefully, she’ll be able to face him. One day.

* * *

 

Sakura smiled as she looked around. It had been a while since she had been in _Konoha_. It was spring and the second year of high school was finished. Sakura decided to come visit Ino and Hinata and see the cherry blossoms before returning to _Suna_ to start her last year. Nothing seemed like it had changed, it was just like she had remembered. "It feels so weird being back here."

"Ah, but I'm so happy you're here! I missed my shopping buddy." Ino then side-hugged the pinkette.

Sakura rolled her eyes in response but laughed, "Oh stop it, Ino. You've tortured Hinata enough in my place so I came here to rescue her."

Their third friend was softly giggling into her hand at the whole conversation. The pink-haired girl smiled. She missed this so much. It felt so nice to hang out with her two best friends again.  
"Shut up! Hinata loves me!"

The three girls laughed as they walked into the shopping mall after they were strolling down the riverside, gazing at the cherry blossoms. After awhile of just window shopping, Ino noticed a sale at a jewelry store she frequented. "Ah, let's go into that store. The jewelry there is so cute! Maybe I’ll send some hints Kiba’s way. He’s always been a terrible gift-giver."

They all giggled at the thought. When Sakura was about to enter the store, something familiar caught her eye. Her heart stopped as she did a double take. Could it be? Sakura bit her lip. It seemed like fate was giving her another chance. She still didn’t feel brave enough, but she knew she had to act quick or else the opportunity would pass. No more what ifs or unfair timing.

Sakura giggled nervously as she suggested, "Um, you guys go ahead. I just want to see something real quick. I'll meet you inside."

"Wait Sak—

"Don't worry, I'll be right back! I just have to check something real quick," Sakura reassured her best friends as they gave her a curious look.

Ino smiled as she ushered the confused Hinata into the jewelry store. She looked in the direction that their other best friend ran towards and then chuckled as she followed Hinata into the store.

* * *

 

Tenten patted her stomach as she could feel it grumbling under her hands. "Ah, I'm so hungry!"

Her boyfriend, Neji, rolled his eyes as he smirked at the girl, "Well that's because someone woke up late and didn't eat breakfast."

"Oh, shut it, Neji."

Sasuke sighed. He didn't even want to go to the mall today, but Tenten kept complaining how he needed to get out of the house more often. After his sudden break up with Karin, he thought his friendship with Tenten might suffer since the girls were so close, but he was wrong. Although Tenten was still upset, she assured him that nothing would ever get in the way of their friendship and that she would always support him. He looked at the bickering pair in front of him and felt grateful that he had them in his life. Now, if only he could get his shit together and think about how he was going to tackle the whole Sakura ordeal.

As he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly bumped into Tenten who was frozen in place.

“What’s wrong?” he asked his best friend. Tenten's eyes widened as she turned around and laughed nervously.

Tenten nudged Neji to the side with her elbow. She laughed awkwardly, "I’m going to go get food since I’m SO hungry. Neji, you go find us a table." Neji just shook his head, aware of the cause behind Tenten's suspicious antics, and left to do as she said.

Sasuke was so confused as he questioned, "Do you want me to get food with you?"

“What? Oh no! Sasuke, I think you should go check out that kiosk with the phone cases. There might be something there you’ll like,” the girl smirked haughtily.

The boy continued to stare at her with confusion. Tenten was acting so weird. She was definitely up to something. The brunette girl rolled her eyes as Sasuke refused to move. She gave him a hard stare back and then gestured her head to the side where the kiosk was. With a curious expression on his face, he finally looked in the direction his best friend pointed to.

* * *

  _And then they saw each other._

* * *

At first they were silent, just staring at one another. Sakura didn't know if she should just walk up to him or not. But her legs started to jiggle in nervousness as her feet refused to take the first step. She was scared.

"Ah—

The pink-haired girl was suddenly pushed forward as a child bumped into her.

"Konohamaru! What did I tell you about running in the mall? Apologize to the young lady."

The child shyly looked down as he apologized, "I'm sorry."

Sakura smiled, "It's alright."

The petite girl then turned around to see that from being pushed, she was much closer to Sasuke than before. Her face turned red as she realized that he saw the whole thing. She looked up to him to see an amused smirk on his face. She smiled as she started to giggle.

It was silent again as they both began to take in each other's appearance. It didn't seem as if either had changed too much over the past year. They were just like they had remembered. However, both could not deny the fact that the atmosphere was quite awkward. They've never officially talked in person, so what would they say?

Sakura took in a deep breath as she quietly greeted, "Hi."

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. He nodded in acknowledgment and replied, "Hey."

They both blushed and looked away after they made eye contact with one another. Sakura bit her lip, not knowing what to say next. It was now or never.

"Sasuke _-kun_ ,” she started as she looked into his eyes.

His eyes widened as he stared at her. Looking into her eyes, he then understood. She was scared but there was determination there as well. He couldn’t help but admire her.

“I’m mad at you.”

He was shocked. That wasn’t exactly what he was expecting, but he stayed quiet so that she could continue.

“I’m mad that I went to the library to talk to you but you weren’t there. I’m mad that I went to the park and all I could see was Karin all over you. I’m mad that you went out with her before I could even speak to you. I’m mad that I had to avoid places that you might be just so I wouldn’t have to see you guys together. I’m mad that I had to move to Suna without telling you how I felt in person. I’m so mad that even after a year, my feelings have not changed. I like you, Sasuke _-kun_.” Tears were streaming down her face as she finally confessed all that she was bottling up. She covered her face with her hands as she continued to let out her emotions.

His face softened at her confession and he couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute she was. He stepped in front of her and put his hands around her wrist to remove her hands from hiding her face. She looked up at him, eyes red and puffy, but with a curious expression on her face.

“Thank you, Sakura.” Her eyes widened. Why was he thanking her? Oh no, was this a rejection? Her body tensed under his hold.

“I’ve been a coward this past year. I let Tenten talk me into dating Karin even though I didn’t care about her. I didn’t go after things that I wanted and I let a perfect chance go by because I was blinded by fear and rejection.” He took a breath in before he continued, “I let you go by and I never want to make that mistake again. I’m sorry it took so long for me to finally step up and be truthful, but honestly, I’m glad that we’re here now. After breaking up with Karin, I had no idea what to do next or how to reach you. I’ve been working on myself so that the moment I did see you again, I can finally tell you this: I like you, Sakura.” He moved his hands so that he could hold her smaller ones in them.

She gasped as she stared up into his dark eyes then smiled brightly at his confession. She couldn’t help but laugh in relief. After all this time, finally, their timing was right.

Sasuke finally let go of Sakura’s hands as his ears started to become red at her wide grin. He coughed in his hand to hide his embarrassment, especially since they were in public. He forgot they were still at the mall. He looked around and saw many curious faces staring at the scene they were causing.

Sakura didn’t seem to mind though as she said, “I know we really need to talk about what happened, but would it be okay to start over?”

He nodded in reply. She smiled again and then bowed as she introduced herself, “Hi, I’m Haruno Sakura, 18, going to start my final year in _Suna Gakuen_ and I have big dreams of being a doctor one day. It’s nice to meet you!”

He smirked but decided to play along, too. “I’m Uchiha Sasuke, 18, also starting my last year in _Konoha Gakuen_ and I have plans to attend _Oto_ where I’ll be studying political science.”

Sakura raised an eyebrow as she smirked, “Seriously? _Oto_?”

He rolled his eyes at her comment, “The Uchiha’s have always attended _Oto_ University.”

“I don’t mean any harm. I like a man with big aspirations.”

He rolled his eyes again playfully as she laughed.

They knew so much still needed to be said, but unlike before, time had changed. There was no letting go this time.


End file.
